The Pet Project
by smuggled-muggle
Summary: [In Progress] 7th Year Fic. Hermione, sick and tired of Malfoy's arrogance and bigotry, decides to make an example out of him. Can she win against him without losing herself?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**  
  
Hermione Granger wiped an imaginary smudge on her platinum Head Girl badge with a silk hankerchief, smiling at her own silliness, before opening the Prefects' compartment at the Hogwarts Express, allowing Crookshanks to enter before her._ This is it, Hermione. Your first meeting as Hogwarts Head Girl. Ignore the fact that the Head Boy is a prat and just enjoy the moment._  
  
The prefects from all of the Hogwarts houses were already gathered in the compartment, awaiting the arrival of the Head Girl and Boy. Anticipating, more likely. They all knew the acrimonious history between the Pure Blood Slytherin Head Boy and the Muggleborn Gryffindor Head Girl, and were quite looking forward to how the two would handle their current positions. This was bound to be an interesting year, at the very least.  
  
"Hello, everyone. How were your summer hols?" Hermione greeted the prefects, smiling at the ones she was more familiar with like Hannah Abbot from Hufflepuff, Ernie MacMillan from Ravenclaw, Blaise Zabini from Slytherin, and the Gryffindor Prefects, Parvati and Neville, and noting that the Head Boy was still not in the compartment. _Probably waiting for the last moment to join us so he could make a grand entrance_, Hermione smirked inwardly.  
  
Draco Malfoy may have decided to join the Light Side last year, claiming that he had seen the error of his ways and wanted to help in the fight against Voldemort, but Hermione knew better. Draco Malfoy's decision to work for Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix had less noble reasons. Simply put, Draco Malfoy had made a wise and calculating decision, betting on what he had thought was the winning side. It didn't matter to him one whit what the Light Side stood for. All that mattered to him was that it was the _winning_ side. After all, if a group of teenage wizards and a handful of older wizards could capture Lucius Malfoy and some of the most seasoned Death Eaters and put them behind bars, what were the chances of the younger Death Eaters against the Light Side? Draco Malfoy's first and foremost consideration in his decision to fight against Voldemort was survival. Plain and simple.  
  
His defection to the Light Side had unexpected results. Some of the Slytherins' parents had pulled their children out from Hogwarts, transferring them to Durmstrang, where they would be able to get more education on the Dark Arts and be away from Draco Malfoy's influence. He was a powerful figure in his house, no matter which side he was on, and the parents of some of his housemates feared that he would influence their children to betray Voldemort. Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle and Millicent Bulstrode were among the Slytherins transferred to Durmstrang. As a result, Draco had begun spending most of his time with more "respectable" Slytherins like Blaise Zabini and Daphne Greengrass, whose parents were not associated with Death Eaters. He had even begun dating girls outside of Slytherin in the name of inter-house cooperation and to prove that he was indeed in the Light Side.  
  
His behaviour towards her and her friends had changed somewhat in their 6th year, but Hermione was well aware that he was the same snobbish, racist bastard he had always been. He may have stopped calling her "Mudblood" in public, but that didn't mean he was any kinder towards her. He may have tried to discourage his fellow Slytherins from attacking or insulting anyone outside of their "esteemed" house, but that didn't mean he still didn't think that he and the rest of the Slytherins were better than everyone else.  
  
It was all an act, Hermione knew. Because the same glint of hatred and revulsion he had always sported upon the sight of her, Harry and Ron, was still in his silver eyes. Because the same arrogant tilt to his head, subtly letting everyone know that they were all beneath him, was still there. Because, when no one was around, he still took pleasure in insulting Hermione and her friends.  
  
The act worked, though. It was enough to convince Dumbledore and the Hogwarts Board of Trustees that Draco Malfoy was reformed and worthy of the Head Boy badge. Of course, Hermione accepted, as far as his academic performance was concerned, no one else was as qualified for it than he was. Plus, she had to give him credit for pulling off a most convincing act. After all, the effort it must taken for him to stop himself from showing his true colours could not have been very easy.  
  
Hermione hoped that he would afford her the same credit as Head Girl. No one else deserved the badge more than she did. Almost from day one in Hogwarts, everyone had predicted that she would be Head Girl, and she had done everything to prove those predictions right. She had given 200 to her academic life on top of being one of the critical players against Harry Potter's war against Voldemort. She, and everyone else, knew she deserved to be Head Girl, she only hoped that the Head Boy would acknowledge that. It was important to her that he did. Not because she valued his personal opinion, but because she respected his badge as much as she took pride in hers. She respected his brilliant efforts to get his badge and accepted that he had gotten it not because of being a Malfoy, but _despite_ of it. That, to her, deserved a bit of respect. And her sense of fairplay dictated that he should return an equal amount of respect to her and her achievements.  
  
The door opened and Draco Malfoy made his grand entrance, dressed impeccably in his school robes, his Head Boy badge gleaming on his chest. Hermione took a deep breath, bracing herself against his opening line.  
  
"Hello, everyone." He nodded at the people in the room. "Granger."  
  
"Malfoy." She nodded back.  
  
"I'm not late, am I." He inquired, tilting his head towards her.  
  
"Of course not, everyone just arrived here earlier. Well, shall we begin this meeting?" She looked at the prefects, then continued without waiting for Draco's response. "Right. According to the message from Professor Dumbledore, the first item on the agenda should be the schedule of Prefects evening rounds. I've drafted a proposed schedule, if you would all take a look at it and let me know what you think..."  
  
Draco remained quiet for most of the meeting, only speaking up when Hermione asked for his opinion or to express his approval on the decisions being made. But inside, he was seething. _The damn Mudblood thinks she can out-do me. That she can take control of our shared positions. We'll see. I'll let her have this meeting, but I will put her in her proper place. _He savoured the image in his head of crushing the bushy-haired know-it-all beneath his heel.  
  
Hermione prepared to leave once the meeting was adjourned, picking Crookshanks up from his comfortable spot beside her, eager to head back to the compartment where Harry, Ron and Ginny were, and more than relieved that their first meeting as Head Girl and Head Boy went without any hitch. _Perhaps he has finally accepted that I am worthy of this position and that I am as brilliant as everyone says I am. Perhaps this year won't be so bad, after all._  
  
"Granger, a moment, if you will." He said as everyone left the compartment.  
  
"Don't you think we would be able to work better if we addressed each other by our first names, Draco?" She suggested.  
  
He made sure that the door was closed before turning to face her and saying, "Do not think for a minute, Granger, that I will ever allow you to address me in such a familiar manner. You may have been given the Head Girl badge and I will work with you as Head Boy, but in no way does that make us equals. No matter how much you keep that badge shiny and bright, it will never distract anyone from who you really are, from where you come from. You are, and will always be, beneath me. Do try to remember that." He smirked and then left the compartment.  
  
Hermione remained standing and staring at the door Draco had just exited from for a few minutes, stunned, her eyes watering at his cruelty. That hurt. She could feel her face blush in shame. She had worked too hard and too long to prove herself worthy of her place in Hogwarts, in the Wizarding World. With a few well-chosen words, Draco Malfoy had managed to dash all of that and remind her of the one thing that was against her as a witch: she was Muggleborn. And that was something that no amount of brilliance and talent would ever change.  
  
_But do you really want to change that, Hermione?_ a reasonable voice echoed in her head.  
  
_No, of course not. It's just frustrating that it always gets in the way! I'm so tired of trying to prove myself._   
  
The hurt and shame she felt at Draco Malfoy's cruel words were gradually replaced by a slow, burning anger that began to rise from the darkest recesses of Hermione's heart. Malfoy had no right to talk to her that way. Malfoy was no better than she was just because she didn't have his Wizarding pedigree. Flashes of his past cruelties and insults passed through her mind, exacerbating her anger, giving life to a calculating and cold shard in her mind. Draco Malfoy had always represented and exhibited the harsh racism that she would always face as a Muggleborn witch -- he knew that and he took pride in that.  
  
_Beneath you, Malfoy? I'll make an example out of you. Watch me._   



	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**  
  
By the time the Opening Feast started, Hermione's hot, seething anger at Draco's cruel words had been replaced by cold, hard bitterness and resolve. Her brain had started to kick in half-way through the trip to Hogwarts as she remained in the Prefects' compartment by herself. She didn't join her friends for the duration of the ride, feeling the need to be by herself with only Crookshanks for company to sort out her burning desire to go after Malfoy and scratch out his eyes. Besides, one look at Harry and Ron's faces, and she would have succumbed to the need to express her righteous indignation at Malfoy's treatment. That would have led to another one of Ron's loud fits, resulting with her friends rushing over to Malfoy's compartment and hexing the hell out of him. Hermione had no objections to seeing Malfoy hexed, but if anyone of her friends attacked Malfoy, he would know that he had gotten to her. He would know that he had upset her, and that was unacceptable to Hermione. She knew that whatever pleasure he derived from talking down to her would only be surpassed by the knowledge that his words had worked. She wasn't ever going to give him that satisfaction.  
  
Besides, if there was any hexing to be done, she wanted to be the one to do it. Then she realised that no amount of hexing and cursing would make Draco Malfoy pay for what he had said to her, for what he thought of her, for how he made her feel that morning, for what he represented in her life. _No, revenge was a dish best served cold_, Hermione thought. _And I will have my revenge. The only question is how_.   
  
For her, the best revenge against Malfoy would be something that would have him on his knees, humiliated beyond recognition, and cursing himself for his stupidity. In public. The best revenge is for him to feel exactly the way she felt as he hurled those deliberately hurtful words at her. _Yes, we know that already, Hermione. But how do you do it? How do you humiliate Draco Malfoy?_  
  
She glanced at the Slytherin table for an answer, but it wasn't to be found there. Draco Malfoy had everything, it seemed. He had grown up to be one of the most good-looking wizards in the history of Hogwarts, having girls (and some boys) swooning at the sight of his silver eyes, white-blond hair, angelic face, and that tall, lean and muscled body. He carried his robes well -- not an easy feat, considering that wizarding robes weren't the most masculine of attires. He was almost as tall as Ron Weasley, but he had a grace about him that most Quidditch Seekers had -- a _limber-ness_ that allowed them to do the most amazing twists and turns as they attempted to catch the Golden Snitch. So obviously, his humiliation was not to be found in his physical appearance.  
  
It was not to be found in his brains either. Draco Malfoy was an intelligent creature, almost as clever and as talented as Hermione herself. The only reason why he was second to her academically is that he did not have the kind of dedication to his academic life that people who felt they needed to prove themselves had. Hermione's need to prove herself as a brilliant witch despite being Muggleborn made her try harder and do better than Malfoy. _Besides, I've been been top of our class for seven years now and if that's not enough to humble him, then it will never be enough_, Hermione concluded.  
  
On top of being a beautiful, intelligent young man, Draco was the only heir to both the Malfoy and Black fortunes. And while that did not matter one bit to Hermione, she knew that it would have been easier for her to humiliate him if he had come from a less monied background. She remembered the times when he insulted Ron for being poor, and how that ate away at her friend's self-esteem. Other people might romanticise poverty as a more noble way of living, but to those who live in it, there was nothing romantic or noble about it. Hermione might have lived comfortably all her life, her parents being two of the top dentists in Britain, but that did not shelter her from knowing that most people who grew up poor carried chips on their shoulders about it. She briefly mourned the lack of that chip on Malfoy's shoulders before turning her thoughts on other aspects to hateful Pure Blood .  
  
She considered the possibility that he would have issues about where his father was at the moment. Lucius Malfoy had been spending the past two years in Azkaban, under the watchful eye of the security trolls. Then she realised that it did not bother Draco one bit. After all, the younger Malfoy had been able to avoid his father's sullied name by aligning himself with the Light Side. He had publicly and socially redeemed himself, and removed his name and reputation as far away as he could from his father's.  
_  
_The very things that, in a perfect world, should have made Draco Malfoy a quality human being, were the same gifts that had turned him into the arrogant man that he was. That made it hard for Hermione to find a chink in his perfect facade. _A shame really,_ Hermione mused, _that someone with so many admirable traits and characteristics also possessed the most abhorrent attitude towards and racist view of everyone around him. He could have been a great man, instead he's nothing but a great prat._  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted when Harry finally realised that she had been quiet for too long.  
  
"Everything alright, Hermione?" he asked. Over the past few years, Hermione had grown quieter and more introspective, and Harry suspected that that was Hermione's true nature. She was a loner at heart, and the only reason why she had begun a friendship with him and Ron was because she was pulled into and intrigued by their adventures during their 1st years in Hogwarts. After everything they had shared, their common history and taking turns in saving each other's lives, in the past seven years, Hermione may have opened up enough to let Harry, Ron and a few others in, but Harry felt that if Hermione found herself alone for the rest of her life with only Crookshanks to keep her company, she would be quite content. So he made it a point to pull her out of her solitude from time to time, to get her out of her own head, to remind her that there were people around her who noticed when she retreated within herself.  
  
"Everything's fine, Harry." Hermione smiled at him warmly. She had been wondering when one of them would finally pull her out of her reverie. She didn't mind, really. Not anymore. She used to be annoyed at the constant chatter that people in her House thrived on, but she had long learned to appreciate their outward and obvious expression of camaraderie and friendship. With Harry, Ron, Ginny and other Gryffindors constantly at her side, Hermione had learned to let go of some of her need to be alone, and had been glad for that.  
  
"How did your first meeting as Head Girl go? The Head Prat didn't give you any grief, I hope." Harry smiled back.  
  
Hermione schooled her expression to betray none of her real thoughts. "It went pretty well, Harry. Better than expected. And don't worry about the Head Ferret, I'll deal with him."  
  
"I'm sure you will, Hermione, I'm sure you will." Harry nodded. _If there was one person who could put Malfoy in his place, that would be Hermione,_ Harry thought.  
  
Hermione left her thoughts for the duration of the meal, participating instead in the lively discussion at the Gryffindor table. She didn't want anyone to be clued in on her real mood and thoughts, opting to keep her anger and her plans for revenge to herself. She felt that expressing what was going on in her mind at this point would diminish her indignance and her need to make Draco Malfoy pay. The moment she opened her mouth to let them in on her feelings and her anger, they would begin dishing out insults against him, and that would distract her and soothe her anger. That was how they had dealt with Malfoy's cruelty in the past. While there had been a few confrontations and scuffles to release their anger at his arrogance and cruelty, the most effective way the Gryffindors had expressed their common hatred was to sit around, ranting and raving and coming up with the most creative insults against Malfoy and his cronies. But this time, Hermione did not want to be soothed by witty insults and cruel jokes. She wanted her bitterness to fester inside her. She would need to keep it inside in order to keep it alive enough to pull off whatever revenge she planned against that hideous boy. So she decided to keep it a secret from her friends. She had always worked better on her own anyway. Rita Skeeter in their 4th year, the Protean coins in their 5th year, not to mention all her academic achievements, were all done without help from her friends. She was confident she would be able to pull this off on her own.  
  
After dinner, Hermione headed for the Gryffindor dormitories to organise her things before her meeting with Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonogall and Draco Malfoy at the Headmaster's Office. They needed to discuss the decisions that were made during the meeting with the Prefects on the train. She was mentally making a list of the things she needed to bring to the meeting when she overheard a few students talking behind her.  
  
"Hey, did you hear about Ernie MacMillan and Susan Bones?"  
  
"What about them? What happened? Is he still after her?"  
  
"Well you know that last year, Ernie asked Susan out so many times but she kept on refusing him, right? Well, have you seen him now? He's delish! He said he spent the summer yachting with his uncles, and I guess that explains how yummy he is now. All tanned and muscular. People were saying that they saw Susan trying to talk to Ernie in the train, but he just remained polite and told her that he was going out with Padma Patil now. Susan must regret turning him down last year."  
  
Hermione, who had only half-paid attention to the conversation, started at the word "regret". Yes, regret. That was the one thing that would make Draco Malfoy pay for his words today, for his treatment of her and her friends for the past seven years, for his arrogance. Regret would knock him off his self-appointed throne.Regret would bring him to his knees. Regret would do so much more damage than just plain humiliation. _But how do you make someone who has everything regret anything? How do you make someone that arrogant regret his actions?_ Hermione asked herself.  
  
A voice inside her replied: _Make him regret thinking about you and your friends that way. Make him sorry for his horrid treatment of you._  
  
_But how?_  
  
Hermione continued pondering about how to make Malfoy regret as she reached the Fat Lady's portrait.  
  
"Hello, dear." The Fat Lady smiled. "Password?"  
  
"Jitterbug Jellies," Hermione replied.  
  
"You look a bit lost, my dear. Anything I can help you with?" The Fat Lady asked.  
  
"Thanks, but no--"  
  
Hermione's further response was interrupted when a gang of 6th year Gryffindors boys burst through the entrance laughing. When they saw Hermione, they all blushed then looked away, then cast sideway guilty glances at each other. One of them quickly hid something behind his back before all the boys all but ran from the door, chuckling. Hermione, who was well aware that her looks were not enough to make teenage boys blush, looked at The Fat Lady who was shaking her head exasperatedly.  
  
"What was that about?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Oh, you know, Ms. Granger, boys will be boys. Did you not see the magazine they were looking at before they saw you?"  
  
"What magazine?"  
  
"Well, I suspect it was one of those rags teenage boys like so much. The one with pictures of scantily-clad witches."  
  
"Disgusting." Hermione shook her head.  
  
"I know, dear, but like I said, boys will be boys. All boys that age ever really think about is girls. I tell you, if you can make a boy want you, you can bring him to his knees." The Fat Lady smiled conspiratorily at Hermione.  
  
Hermione nodded and as the older woman's words sunk in, she grinned. _Yes, that was it. The key to my revenge. I will make him want me, then I will throw it back to his face._   



	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**   
  
The more she thought about it, the more it made sense to her. The only way a boy like Draco Malfoy would be humiliated enough to learn his lesson was to make him want someone he had been taught all his life to believe was beneath him. He was not weak and he had no obvious weaknesses, therefore Hermione concluded that she needed to create his weakness -- a weakness for her. And once that weakness was well in place, she would crush him. In public. Hermione's sense of pride required a public humiliation for Draco Malfoy -- one that he could never deny.  
  
Hermione quelled the voice in her head that appealed to her heart and her sense of humanity, and focused instead on that part of her that got the most difficult things done with relish. That same part that allowed her to blithely keep Rita Skeeter in a jar for a month before releasing her and then blackmailing her, and to lead Umbridge to the Dark Forest, knowing full well that the Centaurs would trample her on sight. Dumbledore had awarded her fifty points for her cool use of logic during her first year in Hogwarts. What a lot of people failed to realise was that having that kind of logic meant Hermione Granger paid more attention to her head than her heart. Most of the time, she curbed that aspect of her personality, feeling slightly guilty about it, especially in the company of friends who were open and kind. She had never really shown that part of her to her friends, and had always made sure that she brought out her more caring, less cunning, side with them. With those she loved, she opened her heart completely.  
  
But when it came to Draco Malfoy, her head was running the show.  
  
With a general plan on how to get her revenge against Malfoy, she now had to work out how to achieve her plan. She knew herself. She had no delusions about how she looked, and she knew that there was nothing about her physical appearance that would make Malfoy stand up and notice her. So she had to resort to other means of getting his attention. In order to do that, she had to observe him and what attracted him. So she did.   
  
It was not at all difficult to find opportunities to scrutinise Malfoy, after all, a lot of their extra-curricular activities were spent in each other's company as Head Boy and Head Girl. While they had carefully avoided the Common Room they were supposed to share, preferring to study either in their respective House Common Rooms or separately in the library, they still spent quite a bit of time together doing their duties. They managed to do their tasks quite well together. Draco was confident that he had effectively put her in her place with his cruel words, and Hermione was willing to let him think that. _All the better to stun him when I make my move,_ she thought.   
  
After a few weeks of observing him, Hermione had finally fine-tuned the rest of her plan. She purchased a leatherbound notepad during on of their Hogsmeade trips, placed security and secrecy charms on it, and used it to carefully and methodically plan out what she had dubbed "The Pet Project". A perfect title, after all it was a project that would turn Draco Malfoy into her pet before she crushed him under her heel. It was also a pet project in the sense that it was small compared to her other current projects like perfecting her N.E.W.T.s, making the perfect Veritaserum for her Advanced Potions class, keeping tabs on the welfare of House-Elf rights, and preparing for Voldemort's annual mayhem in Harry Potter's life.  
  
The last project took up most of her time and energies. They had continued holding Dumbledore's Army sessions, but unlike the first year they held such meetings, the DA sessions for the past two years had the approval of the school. Dumbledore himself had shown up during some of the classes to provide lessons in Occlumency and to distribute lemon drops and other sweets. The entire Wizarding World had stopped all delusions about Voldemort's return, as the Dark Lord's attrocities increased by the day. Reports on attacks on Muggles and Muggleborns were a regular occurence in the Daily Prophet. The mysterious disappearances of wizards and witches were happening on a weekly basis. Fear was rampant in the Wizarding World, and instead of letting that fear consume them, the Hogwarts students had decided to prepare for the imminent War. Thank Merlin, the Hogwarts professors and Headmaster were wise enough to know that this was the only way for the young wizards and witches to deal with Voldemort's Reign of Terror and the building panic that was running rampant among the students. They acknowledged that the young wizards and witches under their tutelage needed to have a semblance of control over and preparation for what was to come. Thus, the Hogwarts professors had agreed to continue having weekly DA meetings and tutorial sessions in the Great Hall. Those who were not gifted with wizarding combat skills were offered the chance to apprentice with Madam Pomfrey and Professor Sprout, in recognition that the War would not only require soldiers, it would also require healers and those who would be able to grow medicinal plants.   
  
Given how busy she was with everything that was going on in her life, in Hogwarts and the rest of the Wizarding World, no one had noticed her working on her Pet Project. Whenever she was huddled alone in the library with her leatherbound notebook, scribbling down elements and components of her plan, everyone just assumed that she was either studying for her N.E.W.T.s, figuring out new spells for the DA tutorials, or working out her Head Girl duties. Everyone basically left her alone.   
  
So now here she was, sitting in a corner in the Gryffindor Common Room with Crookshanks grooming himself at her feet, smiling in satisfaction at her finished plan of action. She had Draco Malfoy figured out. She had now fully articulated her ideas on how to get him to want her, taking into consideration both her limitations as far as Malfoy was concerned (her looks and being Muggleborn and a Gryffindor), and his personality (arrogant Slytherin with a penchant for pretty girls). Over the past few weeks, Hermione had begun paying more attention to her physical appearance in preparation for the implementation of her plan of action. Nothing drastic, of course, as she knew that anything too obvious would tip Malfoy off and would get everyone on her case. Subtlety, she concluded, was a key ingredient to her plan. Thus, as far as her physical appearance was concerned, she limited her efforts to taming her bushy hair a bit by keeping it in a French braid most of the time, which showed off her wholesome oval face perfectly, and to wearing minimal and natural-looking make-up. Hardly anyone noticed the change, but she was glad to note that hardly anyone called her "Bushy-head" anymore.  
  
"The best way for a girl who is not physically gifted to get Draco Malfoy to stand up and pay attention to her is to challenge him. To challenge his conceit. His manhood." She had written down in one of the pages in her leatherbound notepad.   
  
It was true. Observing Malfoy, she realised two things. One, that he could not resist a good challenge and was almost as obsessive as she was when he put his mind onto something difficult. And two, while he surrounded himself with the prettiest girls in the 6th and 7th years, he treated them more like pets and accessories. She did not want to be another Malfoy Fan. No, in order to completely and utterly decimate him, he would have to see her as something more than one of his pets. She would have to be completely inaccessible to him, so much so that she would present a challenge to him. If she played things the way the other girls did, she would not get anywhere with him. If she joined the throng of girls who drooled as he entered a room or hung on to his every word, he would not see her. After all, there were far better looking girls (and some boys) in that throng. No, she would have to set herself apart. And the best way to do that would be to challenge him and use his conceit against him.   
  
She set aside her inner objections about being nothing more than a trophy for a boy. She had always found how some people viewed other people as mere trophies abhorrent and demeaning, like how some of the girls in Hogwarts went after Harry just because he was The Boy Who Lived. But she told herself that this time she would allow herself to be Malfoy's trophy because it was a means to an end. Specifically, a means to _his_ end as an arrogant bigot.  
  
Hermione prepared for the long haul. She knew that operationalising her plan had much to do with the opportunities that came her way as with the preparations and strategies she had drafted. A passage from Machiavelli's "The Prince" that she had written down in one of the first pages of her leather bound notebook reminded her precisely of that: _"... one cannot find that they owed anything to fortune but the opportunity which gave them matter to shape into the form that they thought right. Without an opportunity, their abilities would have been wasted, and without their abilities, the opportunity would have arisen in vain."_  
  
So she knew that, in order to get the best possible results, she would need to let things brew and stew. As with making the most complicated potions, she knew that hurrying the process was not an option. She would have sit back and allow opportunities to operationalise her plan happen with very little prodding from her, but be ready once the moment was at hand. Nothing would be gained by her trying too hard. For one, her plan would become obvious to everyone, especially Malfoy, whom she knew possessed a cunning mind. For another, she was juggling too many other aspects of her life to devote herself fully to her Pet Project. She was patient and busy enough to wait for opportune moments.  
  
Her first opportunity to set her plan into action came during a weekend in early October when the students in the 6th and 7th years were allowed to go into Hogsmeade. The Hogwarts administration had tightened up the Hogsmeade Weekend Trips since Voldemort's return, keeping the privilege only to those in their 6th and 7th years -- those who could defend themselves should Voldemort make an appearance.  
  
That weekend, Hermione planned her outfit well. She had decided to wear Muggle clothes in order to be different from most of the girls who were going to be there. She knew she was going to run into him that weekend. She _made sure_ she was going to run into him that weekend. When Lavender Brown announced giddily in the Gryffindor Common Room that _the_ Draco Malfoy had asked her out for the Hogsmeade Weekend, Hermione kept herself from snorting derisively, and patiently asked Lavender what they had planned on doing that day. Lavender was more than happy to tell Hermione every detail of her plans with Draco.   
  
She left Harry and Ron at the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes shop, trying out George and Fred's latest gags and jokes, and headed towards Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop. Lavender had informed her that Draco promised to buy her a quill to match her outfit that day -- apparently one of Draco's dating traditions. Hermione personally thought it was lame, but was grateful for it for the opportunity it presented to her. So she made her way to the Quill Shop, checking her watch and smiling. It was two o'clock. They would be there. According to Lavender's detailed and unwitting instructions, Draco had made reservations for the two of them to have lunch at Madame Puddifoot's, which would be followed by a trip to the Quill Shop.   
  
Mr. Scrivenshaft smiled and greeted Hermione when she entered the shop. "Hello, Hermione. One of my best customers from Hogwarts. What can I do for you today? Would you like some standard quills or something more special? Let me show you our newest quills. Be back in a moment."   
  
Hermione waited for Mr. Scrivenshaft to return with his newest quills and decided to do a bit of Christmas shopping while she was in the store. As she looked at what the shopkeeper had brought out for her to see, she heard the door open and Lavender's familiar giggling.   
  
"Hermione!" the pretty blonde girl greeted her enthusiastically. The pretty blonde Gryffindor was dressed in her best "weekend" robes: pale pink velvet that made her periwinkle eyes sparkle. Next to her, Draco was just as stunningly beautiful in dark gray robes that brought attention to his wide shoulders and sharply-chiseled jawline.  
  
"Hello, Lavender." She smiled at her housemate, then she nodded at him, "Malfoy", before turning back to the quills she was looking at.   
  
"Are you here by yourself, Hermione?" Lavender asked, half-afraid that Harry and Ron would be in the shop and that their presence would ruin Draco's mood. He had been a perfect gentleman and date all day, and Lavender did not want anything ruining one of the best dates she's had in her life.  
  
"Yes, I am, Lavender." Hermione responded, selecting a blue eagle feather for herself. Lavender sighed inwardly in relief. _It's only Hermione. Draco is used enough to her presence, so she won't be able to ruin his mood_, Lavender thought.  
  
"Pity, Granger. Couldn't find anyone desperate enough to ask you out this weekend?" Draco smirked at her while Lavender giggled quietly at his wit. He looked Granger over, masking the unexpected appreciation he had for the way she looked today. She had her hair knotted in a loose bun that allowed some of her curly hair to frame her face, and was wearing a form-fitting red cashmere sweater and a long denim skirt. She looked unapologetically Muggle, and a bit out of place in the Wizarding town of Hogsmeade. She stood out. _But then again,_ Draco mused, _Granger's always had a knack for setting herself apart from others_.  
  
Hermione hid a smile. He was playing right into her hands. She took her time selecting her quills and paying for them before turning back to Malfoy to look at him smugly. "Malfoy, I used to date an International Quidditch Seeker, do you honestly think that any _boy_ in Hogwarts could top that?"   
  
She smiled at Mr. Scrivenshaft and Lavender before she left, almost laughing out loud at Malfoy's indignant expression.   
  
_Who knew that revenge could be this fun?_   
  
"Draco, why don't you just let what she said go? It doesn't mean anything." Lavender grinned teasingly at her date, trying to pull his attention back to her. They were seating at the Three Broomsticks with Blaise Zabini and Parvati Patil, enjoying tankards of butterbeer. It had been an hour since their visit to the Quill Shop but Draco was still seething at what Hermione said, and Lavender felt it had gone on long enough.   
  
"I know it doesn't mean anything, Lavender. But... but... but the gall. The gall to throw Krum at my face!" Draco replied vehemently. "We all know that the only reason why he went out with her was because she had her hair straightened for the Yule Ball and then put charms to make her ugly mug look better."   
  
"Um... actually, Draco, he asked her to the Yule Ball before that." Parvati hesitantly said. She knew about his temper but she wasn't about to let him get away with lies about her housemate.   
  
Draco glared and her, and Lavender stepped on her foot. "You're not helping, Parvati." Lavender hissed at her.   
  
"Fine, he asked her out before that major transformation," Draco conceded. "But maybe he was desperate for a date. Given his poor English skills, he probably couldn't ask anyone out for the Yule Ball."   
  
Lavender blushed and whispered hesitantly. "I actually tried asking him out for the Yule Ball... but he said he wanted to ask someone else."   
  
He glared at her, and she quickly realised her gaffe and moved to stroke his arm. If she wanted a second date with Draco Malfoy, she had better learn to keep her mouth shut. And she did.   
  
"Fine, so the sap has bad taste in women." Draco scoffed.   
  
"Actually, Malfoy," Zabini began, looking Draco straight in the eye and tilting his aristocratic chin at him. "If you ignore the fact that she's Muggleborn, and that she has more brains that anyone has the right to have, she's actually not half bad. Don't take me wrong, Parvati, she's nothing compared to you. You're gorgeous, love. And I prefer tall women like you, Parvati. All I'm saying is that Hermione Granger is not ugly at all and I can see what made Krum ask her out."   
  
Draco raised an eyebrow at Zabini, but the dark-haired wizard kept on looking him straight in the eye. Zabini was the only student who could give Draco a piece of his mind without fear of Draco's sharp tongue as he had an equally sharp tongue and tough skin. _Correction,_ Draco thought, _Zabini was one of two students in Hogwarts who dared to give him a piece of their minds. The other one was that Ugly Granger._   
  
Before Draco could add another snide comment about Granger, the doors to the Three Broomsticks opened and in came Granger, laughing at something that one of the Weasel Twins was saying behind her. She took a seat at a table from across the room, followed by Fred, George, Ron, and Harry. She was facing Draco's table but she didn't seem to notice that they were there.   
  
Lavender looked up to observe her date and sighed when she saw that he had moved his glare from Zabini to Granger. Blaise tried to change the topic and ease the tension that was oozing from Draco in waves, but while Lavender and Parvati jumped at the chance provided by Blaise, Draco had remained quietly glaring at Hermione.   
  
_So fine, she dated Krum but that still doesn't make her any better than what she is. And how dare she say that no boy could top that duck-footed, funny-speaking oaf? So what if he's an International Quidditch Seeker, I'm still better than him. I'm Draco Malfoy and I can best Viktor Krum any day of any week of any month of any year. _  
  
Hermione lowered her lids to hide the direction of her glance.  
  
Malfoy was glaring at her from across the room, and while that was pretty common in Hermione Granger's life, one look at Lavender's dejected face as she looked at her date who was not paying attention to her confirmed Hermione's triumph at Scrivenshaft's.  
  
"The first round of butterbeer is on me, boys." Hermione smiled.  



	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**   
  
"Let's not assume that just because nothing bad has happened during the Hogsmeade weekends that Voldemort and his Death Eaters are not planning anything." Professor Dumbledore said to the small group of people gathered in the Headmaster's Office. Dumbledore had called this small meeting to check up on the status of the preparations being made for the looming war against Voldemort. In the room were the individuals Dumbledore felt had a huge role to fulfill in the fight against Voldemort: Professor McGonogall, Professor Snape, Harry, Ron, Draco and Hermione. "On the contrary, we have been monitoring the news reports and the activities of known Death Eaters over the past few months, and we've come to the conclusion that Voldemort plans to attack soon and harshly. So I urge you all to remain constantly vigilant and prepared."   
  
"Professor Dumbledore, I have a question," Hermione spoke up, and continued when the old man nodded at her. "I read about the recent break-in into the Department of Architectural Archives last week, is there any more news about that?"   
  
"Why would you bother asking that question, Hermione? What's that got to do with Vold- You Know Who?" Ron blurted out, gulping when he almost mentioned the Dark Lord's name. Hermione mentally scoffed at his continued fear over a name.   
  
"Well, the Department of Architectural Archives has records of every building and establishment in the British Wizarding World, right?" Hermione began.   
  
"Yes, that's why it's called that, Ms. Granger." Severus Snape declared sarcastically, looking at her like she was an annoying bug he wanted to swat.   
  
"Yes, thank you for that clarification, Professor Snape," Hermione nodded at her Potions professor just as sarcastically. Beside him, Draco was clenching his jaw at an attempt to keep from laughing out loud at Granger's audacity to address Snape that way. As far as Draco knew, he was the only one who could get away with that from the Head of Slytherin House.   
  
"Anyway," Hermione continued. "I assume that an establishment such as Hogwarts would have records in that department, am I right? The news report said that all the archives were destroyed and burned down. I was thinking that perhaps destroying the documents and materials in that department was a convenient way to conceal that some documents were stolen. Perhaps those that have to do with Hogwarts' architecture, floor plan and security wards?"   
  
Dumbledore smiled and nodded at her as everyone else in the room looked at her, stunned. "Quite right, Ms. Granger. Quite right. As usual, I am not surprised at your deduction skills. I think it is safe to assume that whoever broke into the Department of Architectural Archives had also stolen information about Hogwarts."   
  
"Then would it also be safe to assume that they would break into Hogwarts, Professor?" Hermione asked.   
  
"Well, we can assume that they will try, Ms. Granger. But without much success, I imagine. We have changed the security wards and spells around the castle, and we have continued to do so on a regular basis." Dumbledore said.   
  
"But, isn't it also true that Wizarding law requires that you submit a record of the changes to the Department of Architectural Archives? What's to stop Voldemort from getting hold of that information as well?" Hermione countered.   
  
"But didn't you always say that Hogwarts was impenetrable? You've always said that that blasted _Hogwarts, A History_ said that!" Harry spoke up.   
  
"Yes, of course, but, Harry, we're talking about Voldemort here. One of the most powerful wizards our world has ever known. While amateurs like Rita Skeeter would never in a million years be able to penetrate Hogwarts, Voldemort might have a greater chance." Hermione said calmly, trying to placate an anxious Harry.   
  
"But Voldemort's afraid of Professor Dumbledore. You said that, too! You said that for as long as Professor Dumbledore was at Hogwarts, we would be safe!" Harry yelled back.   
  
"Harry, I don't think it's safe to assume that the Voldemort of fifty years ago is the same Voldemort now. He has undergone so much more, he has accomplished so much more than he had fifty years ago. Beginning with coming back to life and getting his corporeal form back. I mean no disrespect, Professor Dumbledore, but to bank on his fear of you and of the impenetrability of Hogwarts might be a mistake that would cost us our lives." Hermione said patiently.  
  
Dumbledore smiled at her kindly and wisely. "Again, you've stated exactly what was on my mind, Ms. Granger. I do believe that Voldemort is assuming that I'm assuming the that he fears me, and that he is waiting for me for do something careless. As for your concerns about the required submission of changes in the security wards at Hogwarts, well, we are given a week to submit a record of the changes, so that means that while we are submitting records as required by our laws, we are also keeping a week ahead of those records. Does that alleviate your concerns, Ms. Granger?"   
  
Hermione nodded. "Yes, sir, they do. Thank you. I'm sorry if I offended anyone."   
  
"No need for apologies, Ms. Granger. As a professor, I am always tickled pink at the sight of a student who can think for herself and way beyond the wisdom of her years." Dumbledore replied.   
  
"Why did you have to that, Hermione? Why did you have to question Dumbledore that way?" Ron bellowed at her as soon as they had left the Headmasters' Office.   
  
"Because I had real concerns, Ron. And if I can't discuss my concerns candidly with the man who is supposed to protect all of us, not to mention the people I have been working with in this fight against Voldemort, then with whom can I discuss them?" Hermione replied, annoyed.   
  
"I don't know, Hermione, sometimes your candor scares me." Ron shook his head. "Imagine! Questioning Dumbledore that way."   
  
Hermione said nothing, too annoyed and too afraid that in her annoyance at Ron, she would say something hurtful to him. So walked away to go to the Head Girl and Boy Common Room.   
  
Draco was in the room when she got there, staring raptly at the flames in roaring in the fireplace.   
  
"Oh. Sorry, I didn't know you were here." Hermione said when she saw him, walking to the door that led to her private quarters.   
  
"Are you scared, Granger?" Draco asked suddenly.   
  
"Of you? Not bloody likely." She responded.   
  
"No, not of me. Of Voldemort." He insisted.   
  
"I would be stupid not to be, Malfoy." She answered honestly. "Are you?"   
  
"Yes." He answered.   
  
Hermione nodded and started to open her bedroom door.   
  
"No words of comfort for me, Granger?" He smirked. "Or are they all reserved for Potter?"   
  
"When you deserve my words of comfort, Malfoy, you'll get them." She opened her door and left him.   
  
He stared at her closed door for a long time, trying to work up the familiar anger at her gall to talk to him that way. But right now, every arrogant cell in his person was overcome by real fear. He had honestly believed that he had chosen wisely when he had decided to change sides last year and approached Dumbledore to provide him with information that Draco had learned as Lucius' son. He had submitted all of his father's documents and records so Dumbledore and the members of the Phoenix could peruse them and find critical information. He gave up all the dark magical artefacts and objects hidden in the Malfoy Manor and in their other homes in Paris, Rome, Prague, Vienna, Geneva, Moscow and Budapest. He had offered to spy for the Death Eaters, but Dumbledore and Snape declined his offer, telling him that it would put him in a very dangerous position -- and that he was too young to take on such a task. Draco had protested, of course, aghast that anyone would dare tell him that he was under-qualified and under-age to do anything. But Snape had talked to him and told him about Snape's experiences as a Death Eater, and the nightmares that the older man still had as a result of what he had seen under Voldemort's service. Snape appealed to Draco to not give himself that kind of grief, and Draco respected his Potions Master enough to heed his advice. But now he was having doubts about his decision. Grangers' words and warnings during the meeting rang loud and clear in Draco's mind: Voldemort was stronger than he was fifty years ago, and Draco had just betrayed him by refusing to take his father's place as one of his most loyal supporters.   
  
He figured he was in Voldemort and his Death Eater's Top 10 List of People to Kill after Harry Potter. And this was one of the few times in his life when Draco did not feel smug about being in someone's priority list.   
  
He had snidely asked Granger for words of comfort but a part of him meant the question. He needed someone to tell him that he was going to survive Voldemort's Second Coming. He needed someone to assure him that he had chosen the right side. He needed words of comfort -- and Draco's arrogance would only accept those from people whose words he valued: Snape, Dumbledore and, yes, Hermione Granger. For however dirty her blood was, her words were valuable as they were almost always right. He was astute enough to know that, and he wasn't so arrogant as to fail to acknowledge that.   
  
But her words of comfort, every comforting bone in her body, were reserved for Potter and Weasley and everyone else she had taken under her wing. Never for Draco Malfoy. Tonight, in the midst of his fear, in the darkness of his solitude, in the deepest parts of his heart, he regretted that. More than he could ever say to himself or admit to anyone.   
  
_Oh, snap out of it, Draco. This whiney, pitying mood is no good for you. You are Draco Malfoy and you are above this. Are you so desperate that you're actually wishing for the MudBlood to comfort you? Please. You're better than that. _   
  
That commanding, arrogant voice in his head, quite similar to that of Lucius Malfoy, never failed to get Draco smirking again. True, there was no love lost between him and his father, but Lucius' sole purpose in Draco's life was to remind him of who he was, and even now, after two Lucius-free years, the old bastard could still do it.   
  



	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**   
  
"You know, Weasley, if this were a real fight, you'd be dead by now." Draco drawled, as he pointed his wand at Ron's chest. The tall, lanky red-head was lying flat on his back, face contorted and red with anger at Malfoy beating him in a Wizarding Duel.  
  
Draco stepped back from Ron and addressed the rest of the people in the room. "It's one thing to know which spells, hexes and curses to cast in a fight, it's quite another thing to have your wits about you enough to cast those spells, hexes and curses. Can anyone here tell me why Weasley lost?"   
  
Behind him, he could hear Weasley growling. Draco ignored him and pointed to one of the Creevey brothers, he could never quite tell those two apart, who was raising his hand eagerly.   
  
"It's because you have more knowledge of the Dark Arts," the boy piped in.   
  
Draco snorted and shook his head, "You may have noticed, Creevey, that I did not use any dark spells or curses during my fight with Weasley. Anyone else care to take a guess?" _Damned Gryffindors were soooo stupid._   
  
"Um... because you have more experience in Wizarding Duels?" a shy Ravenclaw offered.  
  
"Perhaps. But if winning in a fight was all about experience, then I guess that means we're all fucked against Voldemort and his Death Eaters, doesn't it." He replied, ignoring the gasps that that name always evoked. _Seriously. These people. Voldemort and his Death Eaters sounds like a silly pop band._   
  
"It's because of two things, actually, Malfoy. One, you have enough confidence to fill a room, and that confidence means you can keep a clear head in a fight. Two, you didn't let your emotions get in the way of having a clear head during the fight. I'm sorry, Ron, but when Malfoy called your mother fat, you should have seen it as his way of getting you angry enough to stop paying attention to the duel." Hermione spoke up from the back of the room.   
  
"Exactly. And thank you, Granger," Malfoy nodded. "In a duel, what's important, unless you're unbelievably lucky, is control. You need to learn not to take things personally when someone hexes you whilst you're in the middle of a fight. An opponent will curse you, get over it. An opponent will say things to you that will hurt, anger or mortify you, get over it. An opponent will do anything he can to get you to lose control, get over it. Any questions?"   
  
"It's not as easy as you make it sound, Malfoy." Harry spoke up. "Sometimes being emotional in a fight actually works, it has worked for me in the past."   
  
"True in your case, Potter, but then again, you're one of those irritatingly lucky people." Draco responded. "For us, regular human beings, we need to learn how to curb our emotions and not let it get in the way of winning a fight. Besides, it looks so much cooler and more elegant, don't you think?"   
  
Only Hermione snickered at that. _What a classically Malfoy thing to say_, she thought. The rest of the people gathered in the Great Hall for their weekly DA sessions were too stunned, too intimidated to have Draco Malfoy heading tonight's class.  
  
When Dumbledore suggested that the handling of the DA lessons was to be rotated among some students and faculty members, the DA members welcomed the idea. When Draco volunteered to head a session, some people were a little bit concerned. It was Hermione who suggested that perhaps Draco's session should be designed towards maintaining confidence and control during a real fight. He accepted the session and planned for it. He had decided to start with a demonstration of an actual fight to which Ron, thinking that he would finally get the chance to hex his worst enemy in front of everyone, volunteered. It backfired the moment Draco started insulting Ron, starting with his "unbelievably silly red hair" and ending with his "sickeningly fat mother." Ron had lost it then and Draco had gotten control of the duel and defeated him.   
  
Hermione, while feeling bad about Ron's defeat, couldn't help but admire Malfoy's tactics, and appreciate that what he was telling the DA members would prove valuable when they find themselves against real opponents.   
  
"Right. Well, I've asked some of the Slytherins to assist me in tonight's session. I would like each of you to pair up with your _favourite_ Slytherin and engage in a Wizard's Duel. The Slytherins have been instructed to insult their opponents to the best of their abilities, and trust me, those abilities are quite daunting. The rest of you will have to practise keeping your cool in the face of a snide, insulting and verbally cruel opponent who, by the way, will be hexing you in between insults. Remember, don't take anything personally." Draco instructed everyone, waving his wand to summon mattresses to the floor of the Great Hall to catch any falling student.   
  
As everyone paired up, Draco noticed that Hermione had held herself back, opting to stand as referee and observer in the duels.   
  
"Too scared to duel with a Slytherin, Granger?" He smirked at her.   
  
She snorted. "I'm afraid I might make one of your precious Slytherins cry, Malfoy."   
  
"True, but I doubt you can make me cry, Granger." He countered. "Shall we duel then?"   
  
_After I'm through with you, Malfoy, you'll be crying for your Mummy._ "Why not."   
  
They took their positions opposite each other, raised their wands and began to duel.  
  
"Your hair's ugly, Granger" he said before casting a stunning spell at her.   
  
She deflected his spell, and responded "Yours is obviously off a bottle, Malfoy." She ducked as he cast another hex.   
  
"Do your big teeth require a special spoon for eating?" he called out.   
  
"Did they have to make the doors here bigger to accommodate your huge head?" she replied, before attempting to hit him with a Bat Bogey Hex.   
  
"Are your veins bigger than mine because of your muddy blood?" he deflect the hex and yelled "Densaugeo."   
  
Hermione ducked from the familiar hex, and replied, "Does your Pure Blood mean your parents were siblings?"   
  
They went on and around each other, insulting, casting and deflecting hexes, until one by one, the other people engaged in their own duels stopped to watch. This was a rare moment. Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy, while bitter enemies, had not really engaged all that much in fights against each other. Sure, there was that one time when Hermione slapped Draco, but that wasn't really a fight as Draco walked out of the scene instead of hexing her. Then there was that time when he enlarged her teeth in their 4th year, but that was an accident. The hex had been meant for Harry. Besides, how many students in Hogwarts history had ever had the chance to witness their Head Boy and Head Girl duel?  
  
As they watched, they couldn't help but snicker at the insults the two were hurling at each other, which were almost as bad as the hexes and jinxes they were throwing in each other's way. When Draco asked Hermione to tell him the details of her three-ways with Harry and Ron, they had expected her to lose her cool, but she responded by saying that his three-ways with Crabbe and Goyle were much more interesting. They were shocked. Hermione Granger had always come off as a bit prudish, and to hear her deflect Draco's innuendos about her smutty sex life and then reply with the same crassness as he had shown, was something none of them had ever expected from their Head Girl.   
  
In the end, Hermione yelled "Accio wand" to summon his wand to her waiting hand. He responded by using the same summoning charm, grabbing her wand as it flew towards him. As he prepared to hex her with her own wand, Hermione ducked and rolled towards him, ending up crouched in front of him. She swept her leg at his ankles, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the floor. She stood up gracefully, pointed his own wand at him and said, "You're good, Malfoy, but sometimes, having a wand and a talented mouth is just not enough."   
  
He looked up at her and fought the urge to grin, not to mention that spurt of lust that burst from his veins at her double entendre and her low voice. He smirked at her instead, "For some women, Granger, it's more than enough."   
  
"But not for me, Malfoy."  
  
Draco stood up and turned to everyone who were watching their exchange with wide eyes. "I think that concludes our lesson for today. Here's a suggestion for all of you to hone your emotional control skills: list down every insulting thing that anyone can say about you and read that list everyday until you can laugh at all of them. That way, no one can say anything to you in a fight that would get you angry, hurt or embarassed enough to lose control. Good day and thank you."   
  
"What the hell were you up to back there, Hermione?" Ginny asked her as soon as they reached the Gryffindor Common Room.   
  
"Teaching Malfoy a lesson." Hermione replied.   
  
"Are you sure? It looked a lot like flirting to me," Ginny looked at her tentatively.   
  
Hermione laughed. "Ginny, didn't you hear me tell him to come out into the open and admit that he's crazy in love with Harry? I hardly think that was flirting."   
  
"I don't know, Hermione. You two were insulting each other, sure, but you were both having too much fun at it. It bordered on flirtation." Ginny insisted.   
  
_Oh, I hope so, Ginny, I hope so_, Hermione thought to herself. If the two of them were indeed flirting, if Malfoy had indeed engaged in a teasing banter with her, then she was one step closer to bringing him to his knees. Instead she replied, "Don't be daft, Ginny. Flirting with Malfoy is beneath me."   
  



	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**  
  
"Hermione, are you sure you're not hiding a Time-Turner in your robes again?" Harry asked.  
  
Hermione looked up from the essay on Animagi Transformation and its Relevance to Modern Wizardry that she was finalising for her Advanced Transfiguration class see Harry, Ron and Ginny standing beside her table at the library. The three had determined expressions on their faces.  
  
"I'm pretty sure I don't have a Time-Turner hidden in my robes, Harry. Why do you ask?" Hermione replied as her three friends took their seats across hers.  
  
"Well, let me see, Hermione," Harry started. "In the past few weeks you've drafted and colour-coded your, mine and Ron's N.E.W.T.s study schedules, managed to get a headstart on your Veritaserum while still fulfilling all your Head Girl duties, including the nightly patrols--"  
  
"Not to mention, help Professor Sprout plant and grow mandrakes," Ron interjected.  
  
"Assisted Madame Pomfrey with brewing a huge batch of Pepper Up Potion," Ginny added.  
  
"Prepared for your DA sessions on defense without a wand," Harry continued.  
  
"Took a lead in decorating the castle for Christmas," Ginny said.  
  
"And--" Ron started.  
  
"OK, OK, so I've been busy. What's the big deal about that? Did I do your N.E.W.T.s study schedule wrong? I made sure to factor in your Quidditch practices and the DA sessions," Hermione interrupted. She knew all about the accomplishments they were enumerating and a few more that they were not aware off. _Like the Pet Project. Imagine what they'd say if they knew about that, Hermione._  
  
"No, the study schedules are perfect, Hermione. Not to mention very much appreciated," Harry said. "This isn't about that."  
  
"Then what's this about?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I guess we're a little worried about you, Hermione." Ginny stated. "You've been so busy these past few weeks."  
  
"I've managed to spend time with you despite my schedule, right?" Hermione looked at them confusedly.  
  
"Yes, Hermione, you have. But... but this isn't normal behaviour for you!" Ron burst out. "Everyone's been running around in panic over what's going on outside of Hogwarts and you're behaving as if this is just another school year."  
  
"But it is just another school year, Ron," Hermione said.  
  
"Hello? You're forgetting the mad man who's running around killing Muggles and Muggleborns? The one who's after your bestfriend and possibly every person you care about in the Wizarding world? Remember him?" Ginny countered.  
  
"That mad man's been running around since the end of our 1st year, Ginny," Hermione argued. "So we're waiting for him to attack us. We've had that for the past seven years. I don't think he's going to stop this year just to be nice and give us a break. But I won't put the rest of my life on hold just because Voldemort might just take over our world this year."  
  
"I wish I could be as blase about it as you are, Hermione," Harry said quietly.  
  
Hermione sighed and gave him a small apologetic smile. "Harry, I'm sorry. I know that for you, this experience is a million times much worse than how it is for the rest of us. And I didn't mean to be insensitive, but... you and everyone else will have to learn how to deal with it and to move beyond it. I'm sorry if I come off as callous."  
  
No one said anything until Harry spoke up again. "We didn't come here tonight to talk about me, Hermione. We came here to talk about you. We're really worried about you. It's like you're burying your head in the sand by over-doing things and not feeling anything about what's going on around you, around us."  
  
"What do you want me to do, Harry?" Hermione sighed.  
  
"Nothing, Hermione. That's it, you have to stop trying to do everything." Harry insisted.  
  
"Why, Harry? So I can waste my time sulking and panicking about what's to come?" Hermione replied, "Do you think that I'm not aware that there's a huge chance that I won't get to see my 18th birthday? Do you think I haven't entertained the thought of dying? I have, Harry. But that doesn't mean I'm going to let it stop me from doing what I should be doing."  
  
"I wish I could be as brave as you are, Hermione," Harry spat out sarcastically before getting up and leaving. Ron and Ginny followed him with worried eyes before they too left to go after him.  
  
Hermione looked down and tried to control her tears. She clenched her jaw and cleared her homework. There was no way she could finish that essay now that she was upset. It wasn't due in a month anyway.  
  
Draco saw and heard everything. He was looking for a book for his Apparition essay among the shelves behind where Hermione was seating. He saw Potter, Weasel and the Weaslette join her, listened as they enumerated her activities in the past weeks and eventually raise their concerns about her busy schedule, and heard her defend her actions against their worry and concern. Now he watched as she controlled her emotions and clear the homework she had been calmly and happily doing just a moment ago.  
  
_Trust Potter and his crew to ruin a perfectly good study session for Granger_, Draco thought.  
  
Draco had no idea before Potter and the Weasels confronted her that Granger had been accomplishing so much in the past few weeks. But now that he did, he completely understood the reason behind it. She lied to them, he knew. She told them that the reason why she had been keeping herself busy was because she refused to let her fear get in the way of leading her life as normally as possible. But Draco, who had spent a disturbing amount of time in the past couple of weeks figuring out Granger, suspected that the truth was that Granger was doing everything she could was because she had seriously considered her chances of surviving Voldemort and concluded that she didn't have much of a chance. She was trying to accomplish everything _now_ because she feared she didn't have much of a future.  
  
For some reason, knowing that saddened Draco. Granger was supposed to be the perennial optimist. She was supposed to be the one with plans for the future. She was the one who was going to be the youngest and the first Muggleborn Minister of Magic in the history of their world. She was supposed to be looking forward to taking over Minerva McGonogall's position in Hogwarts after the Deputy Headmistress retires fifty years from now. _She was supposed to survive the war against Voldemort, dammit, and she was supposed to believe that she would with every Muggleborn cell in her body._  
  
Draco understood why she lied to her friends, too. If they found out the real reason for her behaviour and actions, those three would probably panic. He knew what role she played for the younger wizards and witches who were involved in the war against Voldemort. She was the Voice of Reason. She was the wise one, the smart one, the one who was always right. _Imagine how those kids would feel if the one whose words they believed to be true suddenly said that their chances of survival were pretty dim._  
  
Draco walked to where Hermione was, intending to knock her out of her sad mood.  
  
"Aww. Did Potter and Weasel decide that they wanted to shag the Weaslette instead and left you here by yourself?" He drawled.  
  
Hermione glared at him. "Leave me alone, Malfoy. Zabini and Nott are probably all dolled up and waiting for their lovemonkey to show up in the Slytherin Common Room."  
  
Draco tried to get rid of the horrid mental image of Blaise and Theodore wearing frilly dresses and said, "I didn't know you had an appointment at the Slytherin Common Room, Granger."  
  
"What do you want, Malfoy?" she spat out, still glaring at him.  
  
"Oh a lot of things, Granger. But nothing that a MudBlood like you can possibly provide." He said snidely, bracing himself for the Granger Slap that was sure to come.  
  
She angrily grabbed her things and walked out without saying anything more to him. As he watched her leave, Draco smiled in satisfaction. _An angry Granger was better than a sad Granger anyday._  
  
Hermione headed straight to her private quarters as soon as she left the library. _That bloody, crass, good for nothing, arrogant, racist Pure Blood prat_, Hermione threw her book bag on her bed, narrowly missing Crookshanks, seething.  
  
She hated that he got to her again, that he had caught her unaware and unprepared. She had been doing so well with her Pet Project these past few weeks, she was sure of it. She had often caught him staring at her, his usual hateful glare replaced by a speculative look. It was as if he was trying to figure her out, observing and assessing her. She reveled in it, knowing that pretty soon, he would make his move and when he did, she would be ready. _Well he made his move tonight, Hermione, and you let him get to you._  
  
To distract herself from her anger and to remind herself of her Pet Project's progress, she reached for her bag and fished out the leatherbound "Pet Project" notebook. She had written down every significant moment with Malfoy in the past few weeks to track his behavioural changes that would cue her next move. She read the entries to convince herself that tonight's scene wasn't damaging enough to her goals:

* * *

November 12/Friday: Day after the DA session duel. Caught him looking at me from across the Great Hall over breakfast. Same thing during lunch and dinner. No glare, can't understand that look on his face. He seems... pleased?  
  
November 13/Saturday: Quidditch Match. Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff. Approached me on my way up the stands. Told me that he was only watching because he wanted to see the new Hufflepuff Seeker in action. Told him that I didn't recall asking for an explanation for his presence. Told me he thought my nosy nature would appreciate being told what everyone was up to. Told him that my nosy nature was reserved for special people. Looked at me aghast then mumbled, "so you don't think I'm special?" Told him no. Told me "we'll see about that." Score another one for me.  
  
November 14/Monday: Staring during meal times again. Double Potions with Slytherin. Stared at me throughout the class. Still can't read that expression on his face.  
  
November 15/Tuesday: Staring during Care of Magical Creatures Class and meal times.  
  
November 16/Wednesday: Still staring at meal times. Meeting with Prefects. Insisted that we patrol together that week. Score one for me again.  
  
November 17/Thursday: DA Session. Partnered with me for the hands-on session on stunning and banishing spells. Patrol session uneventful. Very quiet.  
  
November 18/Friday: Still staring. I think I got it. He's looking at me like he's curious. Yes, curious. Like he's trying to figure me out. Ginny noticed and announced it during dinner at the Gryffindor table. Lavender not happy. (Note to self: gossip might be a good thing to maximise. Will need to think about that more.) Patrol was quiet again.  
  
November 19/Saturday: Stared during breakfast but Zabini nudged him. Did not stare for the rest of the day.  
  
November 21/Monday: Asked me during Patrol what it was like to grow up as a Muggle. Gave him an honest answer. He nodded like it was interesting. Interesting.  
  
November 22/Tuesday: In the Common Room after dinner. Asked for my opinion on essay on the Ethical Issues on the Use of the Veritaserum. Had good discussion. That boy is brilliant, too bad he's a crappy person otherwise.

* * *

She was interrupted by a knock on her door. "Yes?"  
  
"Granger, one of your boyfriends is here to see you." Draco drawled from outside her door.  
  
Hermione got up from her bed to the Common Room to see Harry standing by the couch. Malfoy was standing near one of the windows on Harry's right, with his arms crossed and wearing one of his classic smirks. "Don't you have something better to do, Malfoy?"  
  
"None that I can think of, Granger," he replied, looking as if it was the most natural thing in the world to be standing in the same room as Hermione and Harry.  
  
"It's ok, Hermione. I won't be staying long," Harry said. "I just came to apologise for... well for what happened at the library tonight... I was just really worried about you, Hermione."  
  
Hermione smiled genuinely at him and walked to where he was standing to give him a quick hug. "It's ok, Harry, I do appreciate your concern. Thank you. But don't worry about me, ok? I'm fine."  
  
"I'll take your word on that, Hermione," Harry said as he hugged her back. "Now I have to go before I give in to urge to hex the Head Ferret," he whispered.  
  
Hermione chuckled and walked him to the door, kissing him on the cheek before he left. Malfoy was still standing by the window when she came back. "That was a pretty touching scene," he smirked, gearing up for further insults.  
  
"I'm amazed you can recognise a touching scene when you see one, Malfoy," she responded with one of her eyebrows raised.  
  
"Oh I can, Granger. But I'm so much better with that other kind of _touching_ scene," he replied.  
  
"I'm sure you are, Malfoy. Fortunately for me, I will never know for sure," she countered as she walked back to her room.  
  
"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Granger," he said in a low voice. Hermione turned to look at him from the doorway to her room. _Time to up the ante a bit._ "Malfoy, are you saying you want to touch me?"  
  
"Now why would I want to touch a Mudblood like you?" he answered snidely.  
  
"Why indeed. Well, I was just making sure that there was no chance of that, Malfoy. Thank you ever so much for alleviating my concerns." She smiled fakely at him.  
  
"You don't know what you're missing, Granger," he smirked.  
  
_Merlin, sometimes this was just too easy._ "Neither do you, Malfoy. Let's keep it that way, shall we."  
  
She opened her door and entered her room, going straight to her bed where the Pet Project notebook lay. She had another entry to add. 


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**   
  
"Thank you for helping me carry my books, Blaise," Hermione said as she opened the door to the Head Common Room.   
  
"Don't mention it, Hermione, I was on my way here anyway," Blaise replied, following her into the room.   
  
Draco looked up from the book he was reading to just in time to catch Granger smile at Zabini. _What the hell...?_ Draco frowned, "What are you doing here, Zabini?"   
  
"I came to ask you about the Advanced Transfiguration essay on the Effects of Apparition on the Wizarding Transportation Industry, Malfoy. Need some inside information from you. You know, the Malfoys were pioneers in that industry." Blaise replied.   
  
"I see. And you decided to flirt with the Head Girl on your way here? You are a talented little multi-tasker, aren't you, Zabini," Draco replied sarcastically.   
  
"And, you're a git and a half, Malfoy," Zabini drawled.   
  
Hermione, who was arranging the books on the shelves, hid a smile and decided to make the most out of the situation. "Here, Blaise. You're more than welcome to borrow my book on the History of Wizarding Transportation. It might help." Hermione handed the dark-haired boy the book.   
  
"Thanks, Hermione," Blaise smiled back at her. "This is great. I can't believe you have a copy of this."   
  
"Oh, I read it over the summer break for a bit of light reading," she responded off-handedly. "I'm done with my essay on that, so take your time with the book and just return it whenever you're done."   
  
Draco glared at the two of them, observing the casual way Granger and Zabini were conversing. _How come she never talks to me that way? Or smile at me like that? Who does she think she is?_   
  
"What the hell is wrong with you, Malfoy?" Zabini asked bluntly, noticing the blond man glaring at them.   
  
Hermione looked at him, hiding her smile. She wasn't all that comfortable using Zabini to get a rise out of Malfoy, after all, Zabini had always been one of the kinder Slytherins in her year. But the look on Malfoy's face when she entered the room with Zabini, not to mention his blunt question to Zabini, was too precious for her not to maximise. She realised a few days ago that she needed to be less subtle now. She had his attention. He was curious about her. Phase 1 of the Pet Project was in the bag. Now it was time to raise the stakes a bit. _Besides, for all his intelligence, Malfoy was still just a boy and too much subtlety would be lost on him._   
  
"Oh he's probably just contemplating which girl to bring to the next Hogsmeade weekend, Blaise," Hermione replied, walking back to the bookshelf to reach for the book she needed for her Advanced Charms homework. The book was in the topshelf, and she stood on her toes to reach for it.   
  
"Let me help you, Her-- hey!" Blaise had started to walk towards her, intending to help the petite girl reach for the book, but Draco suddenly stood up and pushed Zabini out of his way and headed for Hermione.   
  
"You got your book for your essay, Zabini. Run along now," he said as he placed his left hand on Hermione's shoulder to get her off her toes while he extended his right arm over her head to get to the book, trapping her between his body and the bookshelf.   
  
Hermione gasped in surprise at Draco's proximity, hardly noticing Blaise leave the room, shaking his head in exasperation at his fellow Slytherin. _The last time I was this close to Malfoy, I was slapping him._   
  
"You know, Granger, it's not nice to flirt with your Housemate's boyfriend," he said in a low voice, not moving away from her, distractedly noticing that her hair smelled nice.  
  
Hermione took a deep breath and mentally braced herself to raise the stakes, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach. She turned around so she was facing him without losing their proximity. She met his darkened grey eyes and said in a similar low voice, "Unlike you, Malfoy, I do not flirt with everybody."   
  
He didn't respond, continuing to look at her. She unconsciously licked her lips, only realising what she was doing when his eyes shifted from hers to her mouth. Awareness coursed through her veins, making her skin tingle and her heart beat fast. _Get a grip, and make your move, Hermione._ She stood on her toes again to bring her mouth closer to his ear, "Malfoy, are you going to hand me that book or not?"   
  
He stiffened when he finally comprehended her question then quickly handed her the book and walked out of the Common Room. Hermione stared at his retreating back, calming her nerves and her wildly beating heart. _No turning back now, Hermione. Phase 2 has begun. Merlin, I hope I don't have a heart attack before this is over!_   
  
Draco leaned back against the door he had just slammed, taking deep breaths and lifting a shaky hand to brush his hair off his face. He should have expected this, he really should have. Eversince that duel at the DA session when he found himself flat on his back with Hermione pointing his own wand at him -- and seriously turned on, he had not been able to keep his eyes and thoughts away from her. He stifled the little Lucius in his head by telling himself that it was a normal for a teenage boy to react that way to an attractive girl. Yes, he had finally conceded that Krum, as duck-footed and oafish as he was, did not have bad taste in girls. Granger was not half-bad, just like Zabini said. But the more he studied her, the more he paid attention to little details about her, like the small mole near the left corner of her mouth, or the way she would bite her lower lip when she was concentrating on something, "not half bad" had evolved into something more. Something closer to "Merlin, she's hot!"   
  
But that had not prepared him for the rush of lust that took over him while he had pinned Hermione against the bookshelf. When he impulsively stood up to overtake Zabini from helping her reach her book, the only thought in his head was to put Zabini in his place -- away from Granger. Then when he reached her, he decided to have a little fun and try intimidating her with his body -- to remind her that he was a foot taller and a great deal heavier than her. But when she turned to face him and looked him in the eye, his original intentions, the point of the whole act, fled his mind. _And, Merlin! When she licked her lips..._ Draco had never been turned on that way in his young life.   
  
Then she jolted him back to reality by asking for that book. Draco was aghast at the implications of that: Granger was in control and he had almost lost his. His male and Malfoy pride kicked back in, refusing to accept that Granger had caused him to lose control. Draco stepped away from the door and started pacing, reminding himself of the 101 reasons why he would never allow Granger to affect him that way again. _She's a Mudblood, I'm as Pure Blood as it gets. She's short, I'm tall. I'm better looking as she is. I can have any girl in Hogwarts, Beauxbaton, Durmstrang and any other Wizarding school in the world. She's a--   
  
Lilacs. Her hair smelled like lilacs._ Draco groaned at the unwelcome thought and the spurt of arousal that came with the memory of the way she smelled.   
  
He quickly strode to his closet and took out his leather Quidditch robes. He needed to clear his mind and cool down his heated body. There was no better way to do that than to spend a few hours flying in his broom.   
  
By the time Draco had spent two hours on his latest broom, The Wind Horse, the latest, most expensive broom available, he regained control of his mind and his body. He had also concluded that there was no point denying that, for some reason, he was seriously and physically attracted to the bookish Head Girl, and that instead of wasting his time questioning why and how that happened, he would be better off purging that attraction from himself. Denying the feeling, he concluded, would only make it worse. No, the solution was to have her and then discard her once he'd had his fill of her. He was confident that this unexplained attraction to Granger was temporary, and that once he had conquered her, it would fizzle out. He was just as confident that he would have her. _She's no different from the other women I've had. A few choice words, a few gifts, a few moments of sweetness, and she would be begging me to have her._   
  
With a satisfied smile, he placed his Wind Horse back in the broomshed off the Quidditch pitch. _Draco Malfoy always got he wanted, and this time he wanted Hermione Granger._   
  
Unbeknownst to Malfoy, Hermione was sitting on the window ledge in her room, stroking Crookshanks absent-mindedly with her foot, and sporting a similar smile as she wrote in her Pet Project notebook.   
  



	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**   
  
"Hermione, did you hear about the good news? They caught Bellatrix Lestrange!" Harry announced excitedly as he took his seat beside her in the Great Hall.   
  
Hermione looked up from the Daily Prophet she was reading over breakfast, and smiled at Harry. "Yes, Harry, it's in the front page."   
  
"As it should be. This is major. She's one of Voldemort's most loyal followers. Her capture is a big blow to him, I'm sure." Harry said. "I just wish they could charge her for what she did to Sirius... but until his name is cleared, that can't happen," he added sadly.   
  
"Hmm." Hermione nodded then went back to reading the newspaper. Something about the news did not sit well with her. According to the news, Lestrange was caught because she had tried to disapparate from Hogsmeade and was splinched in the process. The Accidental Magic Detectors, devices that signal and locate misuse of magic, at the Ministry of Magic had gone off that day, announcing that someone was splinched near Hogsmeade. The Accidental Magic Reversal Squad assumed that it was just a tipsy wizard who had tried apparating after having one too many shots of Firewhiskey. The team sent to unsplinch the poor wizard received the surprise of their lives when they found Bellatrix Lestrange instead. The news reports further said that Lestrange had remained quiet and calm, and had refused to say anything when she was sent back to Azkaban, where she had escaped from two years ago. _The Lestrange I met at the Department of Mysteries two years ago was not the quiet sort,_ Hermione thought.   
  
"Hermione?" Harry frowned slightly.  
  
"Huh? Oh. Harry, yes, I'm sure they will be able to clear Sirius eventually. Just be patient," Hermione reached out to stroke his arm. "It's just that... I don't know... I think there's more to the news than what the Daily Prophet has reported."   
  
"Like what?" Harry asked.   
  
"I don't know... too many unanswered questions. What was she doing in Hogsmeade? Where was she apparating to? Why was she so calm and quiet about her arrest? We both know that Lestrange is a loud and whiney madwoman," Hermione explained. "I don't think that her arrest was entirely an accident, Harry."   
  
Harry nodded as he considered her words. Hermione suddenly sat up straight, her eyes wide. "I think I got it! Come, Harry, we need to see Professor Dumbledore. Now." She got up, her breakfast forgotten, and pulled Harry up to his feet to drag him to the Headmaster's Office.   
  
Hermione entered the Great Hall just as the DA meeting was about to be adjourned.   
  
"Harry, if I might have a word before everyone goes?" she asked in a loud voice.   
  
"Sure, Hermione," he nodded as she joined him in front of everyone.   
  
"Hi. I just wanted to let everyone here know the Professors have created portkeys that will lead students back to their respective Common Rooms in the off-chance that Hogwarts would be attacked. The portkeys are located in several different areas throughout Hogwarts. The Head Boy and I have handed the list of the portkey locations for each house to your respective Prefects who will be posting the list in your respective House bulletin boards. The Heads of each House have also been working, together with the Prefects, in casting security charms for our dormitories and Common Rooms." she announced. "Oh and just in case some of you might be thinking that using your House portkeys would save you the trouble of getting to your Common Rooms on foot, or that those can be used when running away from Mr. Filch in the middle of the night, I would like to further inform you that the portkeys will only be activated in the unlikely event that Hogwarts is in peril. Any questions?"   
  
"How can we have portkeys here? Aren't those regulated by the Ministry of Magic?" Ernie Macmillan asked.   
  
"Yes, generally they are, Ernie. But since Hogwarts is under the jurisdiction of its Headmaster, the regulation stipulated by the Ministry of Magic has no bearing on Hogwarts territory." Hermione responded.   
  
"But isn't is impossible to get into Hogwarts by portkey or by any other means aside from through the front gates? I read that in Hogwarts, A History," a fourth year Hufflepuff said.   
  
Hermione smiled at the question. It was something she would have asked had she not been involved in planning and creating the Hogwarts portkeys. "You're right about not being able to apparate and enter Hogwarts via portkey, of course. But these new portkeys are just to travel _within_ the school."   
  
"Does that mean we can apparate within Hogwarts now?" Dennis Creevey asked eagerly.   
  
"As far as I know, Dennis, you won't be apparating anywhere until you finish your sixth year. As for those in their seventh years, and who can apparate, the answer is no. The wards against apparating within Hogwarts are still in place," she said, smiling and shaking her head at the disappointed look on some of the students' faces. "If there are no more questions, then I'll leave you. Thank you for your attention."   
  
Hermione turned to go, intending to head immediately to her private quarters. She was beyond tired. She had stayed up most of the night working with the professors and Draco in positioning the portkeys in different spots in the school. For the past two weeks, she and Draco had been working with Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonogall in creating the portkeys. Hermione had been able to convince Professor Dumbledore that Lestrange's apparition accident happened because she was trying to get into Hogwarts, and that Voldemort and his Death Eaters were planning to attack Hogwarts. She also suspected that the reason why Lestrange allowed herself to be sent back to Azkaban without protest or attempts to escape was because she was planning to help the Death Eaters currently residing in prison escape. After all, she had successfully fled from the same prison two years ago. The members of the Order of the Phoenix, while doubtful of Hermione's suspicions, promised to keep a more watchful eye on the activities within Azkaban.   
  
"Hermione, wait." Harry called out after he had adjourned the DA meeting.   
  
Hermione turned to see Harry, Ron and Ginny hurriedly walking towards her. "Yes?"   
  
"We've barely seen you these past few weeks, Hermione. How have you been?" Harry asked as soon as they reached her.   
  
"Well the portkey project took up most of my free time, Harry. I've been fine, but I'm a bit tired at the moment. How about you guys?" she smiled at her friends.   
  
Her friends smiled back at her and informed her that they were fine. "C'mon, let's walk Hermione back to her quarters, so she can rest up." Harry suggested. Hermione smiled gratefully at him.   
  
"I've barely seen Malfoy these past few days as well, Hermione," Ginny said as they walked to the Head Girl's room.   
  
Hermione looked at Ginny, a little surprised at the comment. _Ginny didn't care one whit about Malfoy. Why is she talking about him?_ "Well, he's been busy with the portkey project, too, Ginny."   
  
"How does it feel to be spending that much time with Malfoy, Hermione?" Ginny asked.  
  
Before Hermione could respond, Ron said, "What kind of daft question is that, Ginny? Of course Hermione hates spending that much time with Malfoy. That's pretty obvious."   
  
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of that, Ron," Ginny responded with a raised eyebrow at Hermione. "I don't hear Hermione complaining about it too much."   
  
Hermione walked on, letting the two Weasleys slug it out themselves. She was too tired to get into a heated discussion with the Weasleys. Besides, she suspected that Ginny had been observing her and Draco's behaviour for the past few weeks, and was coming up with the right conclusions.  
  
Being caught up in schoolwork and their extra-curricular activities had not kept Hermione and Draco from the resolutions and plans about each other that they had made separately and secretly. Hermione sensed that Draco had indeed taken her bait and was now acting on it. His attitude towards her in the past few weeks bordered on being flirtatious, and his conversations with her had been laden with sexual innuendo. Hermione, quite aware of the reasons for Draco's changed behaviour and what it meant to her Pet Project, met his actions and his conversations head on and in equal measure. When he tucked the stray hairs that escaped her French braid behind her ear after they had practiced hexes against each other during last week's DA session, she responded by brushing the fine white blond lock of hair away from his forehead. When he approached the Gryffindor table to ask her a question about their Ancient Runes homework a few days ago, instead of the expected vehement response from her, she smiled at him instead and answered his question. When he asked if he could study with her at the library for their N.E.W.T.s, she said yes and promptly shared with him her study schedule and notes. Obviously, based on Ginny's comments, the changing interaction between Hermione and Draco was not going unnoticed. Which was fine by Hermione. Her plan required as many witnesses as possible.   
  
"Hermione?" Ron's voice broke through her thoughts, just as Harry nudged her arm to get her attention.   
  
"Oh. Sorry. Yes, Ron?" she looked up and realised that they were at the door to the Head Common Room.   
  
"You're not going to deny what Ginny's saying?" Ron looked ready to burst.   
  
"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Kind of spaced out for a while. What is Ginny saying?" Hermione said patiently, not wanting to trigger Ron's fiery temper.   
  
"That there's something going on between you and Malfoy!" Ron practically bellowed. "Please tell me that's not the case."   
  
_Hmm. If word gets out too soon about me and Malfoy, Ron would probably kill him before I can properly end the Pet Project._ "Of course there's nothing going on between me and Malfoy, Ron. Why would you think that, Ginny?"   
  
"Well the two of you have been flirting a lot lately, Hermione. I'm not the only one who's noticed. Lavender, Parvati, Padma and the other girls have too. Even Luna." Ginny responded, looking at Hermione closely. "So what's going on?"   
  
It was on the tip of Hermione's tongue to ask Ginny Weasley where she got off thinking she could demand answers to questions that she had no business asking, but Hermione bit her tongue and smiled instead. "Of course Lavender would notice something like that, Ginny. She's been itching for another date with Malfoy and since she hasn't been able to get that, she's looking for someone to blame. And we all know that Lavender and Parvati kind of share the same brain. And then Padma is Parvati's twin. So it makes sense that they would see more into my working relationship with Malfoy."   
  
"And the rest of us?" Ginny insisted.   
  
"Look, let's all admit it, Draco Malfoy is one of the most popular boys in school. Of course people would gossip about him and speculate about his romantic life. Right now, due to our positions in school, the two of us have had to spend quite a bit of time working together, so it's no surprise that people would romanticise the whole thing and spread gossip about us." Hermione said patiently. _Damn, if I don't make it as a witch, I may have a future in the diplomatic community._   
  
Harry and Ron both looked relieved at her words. Ginny still looked a little skeptical.   
  
"See, Ginny? There's nothing to worry about. There's nothing going on between Hermione and Malfoy," Harry said, smiling.  
  
"Right. Well, I'm really kind of tired, so if you want to continue this discussion, can we do it tomorrow?" Hermione asked. When they nodded, she bade them goodnight and headed inside the Common Room.   
  
"Ever thought about applying for a job at the Department of International Magic Cooperation?" Draco drawled from his slouched position on the couch.   
  
"So you heard," she shook her head and took a seat beside him on the couch.   
  
"Hard not to hear with two Weasels yelling so close," he answered. "So nothing's going on between the two of us, do you really believe that?" _I'd like to see you try denying that to me, Granger._   
  
Hermione remained silent for a while, caught a little by surprise by Malfoy's candor, and thinking about how to approach this situation. _If I say yes, it might back-track things. If I say no, it might speed it up too soon._   
  
"I don't know. What do you believe?" she responded. _When you have no answer, answer with a question. Brilliant, Hermione._   
  
_Damn, I had a feeling she'd do that. Fine, time to speed things up a bit._ "I don't know either, but I do think you're beautiful." He lifted his right hand to stroke her cheek with the back of his forefinger.   
  
_Oh, he's good. He almost got my spine-tingling with that one._"Thank you," she said, deliberately keeping her face lowered.   
  
He moved his hand to her chin to hold it gently as he raised her face to his. _Let's see you deny this, Granger._ He lowered his face towards hers.   
  
_Move, Granger! This is too fast. This is too much. You haven't planned for this. Not really. You need a strategy. You need--_   
  
Draco's mouth brushed against hers slowly and gently before he licked her lips. _Draco, my boy, you are the best. Pretty soon you'll have her. You'll break her and then--_   
  
Hermione opened her mouth so her tongue could brush against his before she plunged it into his mouth. They closed their eyes at the same time as sensations flooded through them. He sucked her tongue deeply before he opened his mouth wider to devour her mouth and plunge his tongue repeatedly into hers. Hermione's hands reached up to clutch his shoulders as his arms wrapped around her waist to press her upper body against his.   
  
He broke the kiss to catch his breath but moved his mouth and tongue to her ear, moaning when she made the sexiest growl when his tongue teased the whorls of her ear. He lowered their bodies to the couch, him on top of her, as she nibbled on his jawline. When Hermione's back was flat on the couch, Draco placed his mouth back on hers for a second kiss, lifting his hands to feel her breasts through her school uniform. Hermione groaned at the unfamiliar feel of someone's hands on her breasts, burying her fingers in his soft flaxen hair, and opening her legs to allow his thigh between them.   
  
"You feel so good, Hermione."   
  
At the sound of her name on his lips, familiar words came rushing back into Hermione's mind, causing her to stiffen and remember who she was, who he was and why she was here.   
  
_"Do not think for a minute, Granger, that I will ever allow you to address me in such a familiar manner"._   
  
"Hermione?" He looked up from kissing her neck when he realised that she was no longer responding to him.   
  
How she wanted to fling his words back at him right this minute, to chastise him for assuming he could call her by her first name. _But not yet, Hermione. Not yet. This is not the opportune moment._ Besides, she realised she had not regained enough control to have a fully functional vocabulary, and she wanted the choicest words for when she finally decimates Malfoy.   
  
Hermione pushed him away from her and tried to clear her thoughts.   
  
"Hermione?" Draco looked at her in concern, confused as to why she had put a stop to those pleasureable moments.   
  
"I'm sorry... I... uh... too fast," she mumbled as she straightened her uniform in an attempt to calm herself down. She bit her lower lip to keep words from spilling from her mouth.   
  
"Hermione?" he tried to lift her chin so he could look into her eyes. He was a bit concerned, he had never seen her so flustered. She looked like she was on the verge of crying.   
  
"I think I better go," she whispered and then stood up on shaky legs. "Good night."   
  
She almost ran to her room, where the tears started to flow as soon as she closed the door.   
  
_How could you lose control like that, Hermione? How could you allow that... that... Malfoy to get to you? How could you allow yourself to forget even for a few minutes what this is all about? What the hell is wrong with you?_   
  
She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. She headed for her bag and took out the Pet Project notebook. It was time to remind herself the reasons why the scene in the Common Room happened. It was time to tell herself that it meant that her plan was moving along perfectly. It was time to remember not to take that kiss personally. It had nothing to do with her, and everything to do with her Pet Project. Malfoy wasn't kissing Hermione Granger back there, he was kissing the latest challenge that she had voluntarily placed before him.  
  
As she wrote the kiss down in her growing list of scenarios that would eventually lead to the fulfillment of her plan, she realised that it was her first real kiss, and felt a twinge in her heart that she couldn't allow the giddy feeling that the thought almost brought her. _Stick to the plan, Hermione. There's no room for girlish giddiness, not when you've got a project to finish. You can have your real romantic first kiss later. For now, concentrate on your Pet Project._   
  



	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**   
  
_ Dear Hermione,   
  
Your father and I have decided to spend the Christmas Holidays in our house in France. Your Uncle Nathaniel and Aunt Constance are holding a fundraiser on 20 December in Paris. It's for providing medical supplies and assistance to children and women in Afghanistan. Your father and I are attending this event, and so we have decided to spend the rest of the holidays in France. We will be leaving for Paris on the 18th and coming back right after New Year's Day.   
  
I do hope you can join us this year. We haven't spent the holidays together in two years, dear, and we would appreciate your presence at the fundraiser. I am sorry for the short notice about our holiday plans. We have been busy with work the past few weeks, and I almost forgot about the charity event until your Aunt Constance rang this afternoon. Do let me know your decision.   
  
love,  
Mum _  
  
Hermione sighed after she finished reading the letter from home. Her relationship with her parents had grown steadily stilted and distant eversince she received her first Hogwarts letter. They had tried their best to be accepting and supportive of their only daughter's new life, but it had grown increasingly difficult to be part of that new life. Hermione felt her parents' frustration, and appreciated their efforts, particularly since she knew how difficult it was for them to accept that there was a world beyond the only one they knew. What made it worse was the kind of wizarding life Hermione had. She had kept most of the details of the dangers she faced and experienced as a witch and as Harry Potter's bestfriend from her parents, but they were aware that Hermione was not entirely safe in the wizarding world. They had tried to convince her to give up Hogwarts after she was petrified during her second year, but Hermione stood firm on her desire to be a witch and a student at Hogwarts. She felt her parents' increasing resentment towards her wizarding life and friends as she spent more and more time away from her Muggle life, but she deliberately ignored it, believing that what she did and was in the wizarding world was more important than anything else. Besides, Hermione thought, there was no way that her parents would be able to understand what it's really like here in the Wizarding World, so why bother them?  
  
Christmas was less than two weeks away and Hermione had to make her decision about where to spend her holidays soon. A part of her wanted to join her parents in France. She remembered how her mum and dad refused to talk to her after she told them in her 5th year that she wasn't going skiing with them but instead was going spend Christmas with her friends because she wanted to know for sure that Harry was doing fine. They had made up over the summer after that Christmas, but her parents had never again made plans for the holidays with her. She wanted to make it up to them this year by spending some time with them, but she knew that she really wouldn't be with them 100 as she would be worrying about what would happen in Hogwarts, to Harry and to her other friends while she was away.  
  
Another thing that affected her indecision was the situation with Malfoy. After the scene in the Common Room, Hermione had kept her distance from him, making sure that she was always surrounded by her friends and never alone with him. She avoided their Common Room more now than she did earlier in the year. She needed to re-group and re-think the Pet Project. She had admitted to herself that she was affected by that kiss, and that she wasn't sure that she could handle anymore encounters like that. She also knew that the success of her Pet Project required more of those kisses. She needed to make Malfoy crazy about her. Crazy enough about her to forget who he was, who she was, and think of nothing else but having her. Once he was at that stage, she could then move on to Phase 3 of the project and eventually to crushing him. Her leaving for the holidays could make or break the project. What would her absence from Hogwarts do to Malfoy? Would it make him want her more or would it make him forget her? She knew that at this point, he wasn't completely in the bag yet, and felt that if she went away for the holidays, he would regain his bearings and undo everything she had worked on for the past few months.   
  
Perhaps I can promise my parents to spend the holidays with them next year, she told herself. _But what if there was no next year?_   
  
Hermione decided to put off her decision for the rest of the day. She had classes to attend and things on her To Do list, and she didn't want to lose focus by obsessing over her holiday plans and her Pet Project. _I'll work out the pros and cons later then I'll write to Mum._   
  
"Are you ever going to talk to me again?"   
  
Hermione looked up from the book she was reading to see Draco standing in front of her. She was sitting on the floor of the library, hidden amidst the farthest bookshelves. _Damn. How'd he find me? I chose this spot because no one ever comes here._   
  
"What do you mean, Malfoy? I have been talking to you," she responded as nonchalantly as she could.   
  
He dropped gracefully to the floor to sit beside her before saying, "I mean outside of Prefects' Meetings, classes, DA sessions and other Kill-Voldemort-and-his-Death-Eaters meetings."   
  
"Was there anything you wanted to talk about?" she asked.   
  
"Yes, lots," he smiled at her.   
  
"Like?" she braced herself for his response. She knew what he wanted to talk about.   
  
"Like why you ran away from me a week ago and then avoided me since" he replied.   
  
"What happened was... unexpected... and I'm not quite sure how to deal with it," she responded.   
  
"Yes, it was unexpected for me, too. I completely understand why you don't know how to deal with it. I mean, we were enemies for so long, and what happened probably did not make sense to you," he said.   
  
"And it makes sense to you?" she looked at him in askance.   
  
"Yes, it does. I won't beat around the bush. I want you. I want to be with you," he stated confidently. He figured that if he was going to get somewhere with Granger, he would have to state his desires, to let her know exactly what he wanted. _Sometimes, women like it when a man is blunt. Maybe this would work. I'm not above using any means necessary to get what I want._   
  
"Why?" Hermione asked bluntly. _I'd love to see him try to explain his intentions._   
  
"Because you're the most beautiful creature in the world as far as I'm concerned," he answered just as bluntly, realising that it wasn't a complete lie.   
  
_Haha. Merlin, what a line!_ Hermione cleared her throat to cover up the laughter threatening to errupt from her throat, and that voice in her head that wished his words were true. "I thought _you_ were the most beautiful creature in the world as far as you were concerned, Malfoy?"   
  
"Well I changed my mind," he stated, getting a bit angry. "What do you want from me, Hermione? What do you want me to say to get you to talk to me? What more can I say to convince you that I really want you?"   
  
"Oh, I believe you, I believe you want me. I'm just not sure why. What brought on this change of heart, Malfoy? Why are you suddenly telling me that I'm beautiful?" she responded.   
  
Draco looked at her for a few seconds before saying, "Does it really matter, Hermione?" He raised his hand to tuck a wayward curl of hair behind her ear, his hand remaining on her ear to stroke her earlobe. "Does it really matter why? Shouldn't the only thing that matters is that I do want you? And that you want me just as much."   
  
Hermione told herself that the goosebumps blossoming on her skin were due her effort not to gag at his words. _Don't take it personally, Hermione. Those are just lines. He wants to avoid telling you the truth so he's spouting lines straight off some cheesy romance novel._   
  
He moved his face closer to hers, leaning down towards her mouth. Hermione stood up all of sudden, needing to get away from him. "I can't do this," she whispered. _Not yet. I'm not prepared for this._   
  
She turned to walk away but Draco had stood up just as swiftly and grabbed her arm to pull her to him. She slammed into his chest but had no time to react because his other hand moved to her nape to bring her lips to his. Before she could completely comprehend what was going on, his tongue was roughly plunging into her mouth and she was already sucking on it.   
  
The hand that grabbed her arm moved to waist to press her front to his, making her feel his growing arousal. She stood on her toes and lifted her arms to wrap them around his neck, groaning at the feel of him. With her fully in his arms, he turned to bring them closer to the bookshelves, trapping her body between his and the shelves, freeing his hands to roam all over her body. He trailed his lips to her neck to nibble on it as his hands worked on the buttons of her school blouse. Once the buttons were undone, he lifted his hands to cup her breasts and trailed his lips towards them.   
  
Hermione groaned and lifted one of her legs to wrap it around his, bringing their pelvises deliciously together. He brought his hands to her hips to rub her against him, illiciting moans from the two of them. He covered her mouth with his again, nibbling on her lips before placing his tongue back where it belonged -- inside her mouth.   
  
"You want me, Hermione. Don't deny it. You want me and that's all that matters," he whispered against her ear when he came up for breath. "Say it."   
  
Instead of saying anything, Hermione reached up to bring his mouth back to hers. Once he was busy kissing her, Hermione trailed her hand down to the waistband of his trousers, unbuttoning it and reaching in to stroke him.   
  
"Yes, that's it," he groaned. "Show me how much you want me, Hermione. Give me what I want."   
  
_What in Merlin's name are you doing, Hermione Granger?!?_ A frantic voice screamed inside Hermione's head, causing her to stop her movements and push him away from her.  
  
He looked like he wanted to cry when Hermione finally dared to look at him.  
  
"Stay away from me, Malfoy," she said before running away from him.   
  
When she reached her private quarters, she took out a piece of parchment and a quill to write to her mother back and tell her she'd be happy to join them in France for the holidays. 


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**   
  
Hermione stood in the small balcony outside her room in the Granger Chalet, breathing in the fresh early morning air, waiting for the rest of the house to wake up for their traditional Christmas morning breakfast. While she had agreed to go to France to flee from Malfoy and the unfamiliar and disturbing emotions he evoked from her, after a few days in the company of her family, she realised that it was the best decision she had made all year. Being with her parents, spending time away from her Wizarding life, was just what she needed. Hermione admitted to herself that in the past few years, as she turned into one of the best witches Hogwarts had ever known, she had tried to hide where she had come from under a list of her achievements and accomplishments as a witch. _That's why Malfoy's words that day hurt so much. They reminded you that underneath it all, you were still Muggleborn, that you would never be good enough. _   
  
For the first time since September 1, Hermione did not feel that cold anger and bitterness at the memory of those words and that scene. And it felt good. She admitted that there was something very tempting about letting anger fester and brew inside, something very satisfying about it. Perhaps it was the rush of heat followed by the biting freeze in her veins. Or the frantic internal scramble to get a hold of herself to justify her anger, to relish it, to begin to enjoy it. It made her feel _alive_. That was why she had allowed that feeling, why she held on to it for the past few months.   
  
But the moment she let it go, that instant when she took a deep breath and released her anger, there was a lightness in her heart she had not felt in a long time. A calmness that washed over her, and made her feel _human_. She knew enough about that old calmness that descended on her during times of peril and danger, that calmess that allowed her to think and plan in an emergency, to know that the calmness she felt now was different. Deeper. More lasting.  
  
She smiled as she recalled the event that triggered this change in her.   
  
"Mum, is there something I can do before we leave for Paris tomorrow? I've already packed and gift-wrapped all the Christmas presents," she said as she walked into the master bedroom where Anne was packing for their trip. Hermione had been home for a day and already she was going batty with nothing to do. With her wand tucked away in her chest, and knowing that she wasn't allowed to do magic whilst on vacation, she had frantically looked for activities to occupy her time: she cleaned her room, alphabetised her books and her CD collection, even tried swimming a few laps in their heated indoor pool. Nothing worked. She was still bored out her mind and itching to do something, _anything_, to occupy her time and her mind.   
  
"Would you like to sort out the box of photos your Grandmother has asked me to bring to her in France? It's for her new hobby. She joined a scrap-book making club of some sort," her mother replied.   
  
"Sure, Mum. Where?" Hermione answered eagerly, then headed for her parent's study to retrieve the box when her mother told her where it was.   
  
The box was filled with the Granger's memories -- photographs of every birthday, every wedding anniversary, every trip, every important event in their family's life. For Hermione, who had grown accustomed to moving wizarding pictures, it was quite strange to look at photographs where the people remained still. At first, she had organised the hundred or so pictures by rote, stacking them by date and labelling them. Eventually, as she categorised the pictures, memories of the different events they captured began flashing through her mind.  
  
A photograph of her and her mother during their trip to China when she was nine, made her smile. She remembered the day that picture was taken. Her mother made them all laugh with her attempts to speak Chinese, especially when the interpreter they had hired finally but hesitantly told Anne that she had just called the elderly lady who was selling them silk "an old horse" when she meant to respectfully call her "mother". That embarassed and flustered look on Anne's face, so out of character for the perenially-composed woman, may not have been captured on film, but had remained in Hermione's photographic memory.  
  
Another photograph, this time of her parents' tenth year anniversary, brought a poignant smile to Hermione's face. A few minutes after that picture was taken, they had received a call from Aunt Constance, tearfully letting them know that her Grandfather had passed away. Hermione remembered the look on her father's face at the news. It was the first time she had ever seen a man cry, and for a few seconds, she saw him in a different light. Gone was the strong, successful and loving father she had always known; all that was left was a son grieving for his father.  
  
As she looked at the photographs and relished the memories they brought, Hermione realised that even moving magical pictures could not replace the feelings and memories evoked by a still picture. It didn't matter that a picture did not have moving images, what mattered was the story behind a still picture.  
  
"I know that must be a bit boring for you," her mother said. Hermione looked up to see her mother standing at the doorway of the study, and a quick look at the clock on the mantle told her that she had been organising the pictures for the past two hours.   
  
"No, it's not, Mum. It's fun looking at our old photos," Hermione answered.   
  
"I meant that it was boring because the pictures are ... well quite still... I know you've gotten used to those that move," Anne said, walking towards the couch to sit beside Hermione.   
  
"No, Mum. They're anything but boring... Sometimes still pictures can capture a moment better than any moving picture can," Hermione responded, realising the truth to her words as she spoke them.   
  
"Hermione, you don't have to be polite," Anne smiled a bit sadly at her. "I know that... Muggles and Muggle things are nothing compared to what you've seen as a witch."   
  
Hermione kept silent, pondering her mother's words. Yes, over the past few years, she had had considered everything Muggle as too... ordinary, too boring compared to the wonders of the wizarding world. "Mum, I'm sorry."   
  
"No, dear. No, don't apologise. I can only imagine what it's like for you... your wizarding life... it must be amazing. And there's nothing wrong with that. You were eleven when you first entered that world, a child! I remember the first letter you wrote to us from Hogwarts and how excited you were at everything about your new life. I have seen the way your face lights up whenever that wall to Diagon Alley disappears and you see that place again. I know how proud you are of everything you've accomplished as a witch. Don't apologise for discovering a world that's far beyond any of your childhood imaginations and dreams." Anne said. "I am so proud of what you've become, Hermione. There are no words for how your father and I feel about your accomplishments. Our only regret is that we can't share your world. That we're not magical enough to fit into your life."   
  
As her mother spoke, Hermione began to realise just how arrogant she had been for the past few years, believing that her parents could not possibly grasp her experiences as a witch and keeping the details of her life from them. The reason why they had grown apart was not because they couldn't accept her as witch, it was because she had kept herself from them, making them feel not worthy to share her life with. She had been too busy becoming the brilliant Muggleborn witch that she was that she had forgotten all about her Muggle life and home.   
  
Hermione began to cry, "Mum, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to leave you and dad out. I didn't realise I was so... arrogant to think that you couldn't possibly understand or appreciate what I was going through. And I never imagined how it must feel to you and dad that I devoted so much of myself to my wizarding life that I had left behind my Muggle life. I never meant to hurt you and dad, Mum. I was just too caught up in trying to fit in and to be the best witch in Hogwarts that I forgot to think about you and dad. I'm sorry for being so selfish."   
  
Her father came home to a sight that he had never thought he would ever see again: his wife and his daughter hugging and crying.   
  
After that moment, she and her parents had spent hours talking and just catching up. Making up for lost time. Forgiving each other. Allowing her parents to get know who she had become. She had told them everything about her life in Hogwarts: the fun she had with her friends, the adventures she had been part of, danger she was in, the pressure she felt to prove herself. Talking about all of it helped Hermione more than she would be able to express with words. It helped her sort out her issues as a Muggleborn witch, her fears about Voldemort, her anger at Malfoy for being the constant reminder of what she was and what she could never be.   
  
Admitting and realising just how much she had shunned her parents for the past few years made Hermione take a good look at herself and assess what she had really become. In her fear of Voldemort's onslaught, in her anger and hurt at the prejudice she had encountered as a Muggleborn witch, she had lost herself in trying to bury her fear, her anger, her hurt under a multitude of tasks, accomplishments, and projects. She had believed that by doing enough, she would be enough. Enough to help Harry defeat Voldemort. Enough to prove to everyone that she was just as good as any Pure Blood witch. In doing so, she had forgotten who she was and cast aside people who loved her. More importantly, she had begun to let the prejudice against Muggleborns take over her. She had become a person who had ignored her family, forgotten her roots, and had allowed her arrogance and anger to consume her to the point that she had relished the idea of decimating Malfoy.  
  
She knew she was better than that. She knew she was not that person. She knew that she did not want to be that kind of person.  
  
At some point during their time together, her father said something that she would never forget: "Hermione, every person has a list of non-negotiables. These are things that you would never compromise, never negotiate on, never barter for anything. Your non-negotiables define who and what you are as a person, as a young woman, as a witch. It's up to you to decide which aspects, which values, which parts of you, will go to that list. If you are clear on your non-negotiables, nothing can hurt you enough to destroy you. But, the moment you start negotiating on your non-negotiables, you lose yourself, you become less of the person that you want to be, that you can be, that you are."   
  
She had thought about her non-negotiables, and had come to conclusions about the kind of person she really was and the kind that she wanted to be. She had come to terms with what she could never be, and had re-learned the things that were really important to her. She thought back on the 11-year old Hermione Granger who had just discovered she was a witch -- how excited she was, how eager to learn about the new world that was just revealed to her, how hurt she was when no one liked her during her first few months in Hogwarts, how happy she was when Harry and Ron had finally accepted her into their fold. She re-traced how she had grown up in Hogwarts, focusing on the events that made her feel really happy -- the times she helped Harry and Ron and the other Gryffindors figure things out, the moments spent with the Weasleys who had bourne their financial difficulties with grace, honour and a sense of humour, the moments when Harry Potter's kindness, bravery and inherent humility awed her, the conversations with Hagrid, who had never failed to always make her feel better with a kind word and his childlike simplicity, the endless hours spent in the library discovering new spells and charms for the simple joy of learning something new. The real Hermione Jane Granger was not the Muggleborn Head Girl with unmatched academic achievements, who was constantly proving her naysayers wrong about their prejudice. She was so much more and so much less than that. She was, simply, a loyal friend, a dedicated learner, a vulnerable teenage girl, a wise and intelligent witch, a staunch crusader against Voldemort and everything the monster stood for. The moment that she accepted the real Hermione Jane Granger, it was so much easier for her to let go of her false pride as a witch, her anger and hurt at the prejudice against her in the Wizarding world, and her fears about Voldemort.  
  
So now here she was, breathing the fresh early morning air, calmer and happier than she had ever been in the past few years. She didn't doubt for a minute that Voldemort would attack and probably kill her, or that the discrimination against Muggleborn witches like her would go away upon her return to Hogwarts. She knew those things would still be there, but she also knew that there nothing Voldemort or Malfoy and his ilk could do that would take away the things that made her Hermione Jane Granger.  
  
She went back inside to her room and took out her Pet Project notebook. She considered throwing it in the fireplace but then decided that she needed to keep it with her to remind her just how close she had gotten to losing herself because of her anger and need to prove herself. She accepted that no matter how horrid Malfoy had been to her, no matter what he represented in her life, the real Hermione Granger would not have abided by the cruelty she had been prepared to dish out to him. He may have deserved it, but being true to herself, regaining that part of her that made her human and humane, was more important than besting Malfoy and teaching him a lesson.   
  
So instead, she wrote on the last page of the leatherbound notepad: Pet Project Aborted. Then she put it back in her bag.   
  
_Besides, Hermione. YOU might not be the kind of person who would be cruel enough to follow through on your Pet Project, but there might be someone who is. Would be good to provide them with reference materials, wouldn't it._   
  
Hermione chuckled. It was good to know that her little imp was still with her.   
  
Draco scowled as he made his way to the library. _Damn Snape. Why couldn't he get that bloody potions book himself? Damn lazy bastard._ The last thing Draco needed right now was to spend time in the library. He had been successfully avoiding the library over the holiday break, glad that he had finished all his homework in advance so he would not have to go to the blasted place. If his mother had not left the country soon after Lucius' arrest, and if Draco genuinely liked spending time at the Malfoy Manor or any of their other mansions, he would not have spent the holidays in Hogwarts. Besides, Dumbledore and Snape forbade him to leave the school in fear of Draco being attacked for his betrayal of the Dark Lord and his followers. All throughout the break, Draco had either flown for hours on his Wind Horse over the Quidditch pitch or hung around in the Slytherin Common Room, flirting with the 5th, 6th and 7th year girls who had not gone home for Christmas.  
  
_Now the greasy old bastard ruins my fun because he's 'too busy' to get a blasted book himself. So what if he's brewing batches of Skele-Grow for the Hospital Wing? That's no excuse for getting me to go back to that blasted place where I almost had Granger before she ran away. Merlin, she was so beautiful that day. So hot. So--_   
  
"Harry, that's a really cool quill. Where'd you get it?" one of the Creevey brothers, Draco could never tell them apart, interrupted his thoughts as he entered the library. Potter and the other Gryffindors were sitting near Madame Pince desk.   
  
"Hermione gave it to me for Christmas. Says it's called a Whistle Quill. It makes a whistling sound when you write down a mispelled word. Neat, huh?" Harry responded.   
  
"How come Hermione didn't spend the holidays with you and Ron? She hasn't spent the holidays away in years, hasn't she," the other Creevey brother asked.   
  
"She decided to spend the break with her parents in France. She said she wanted to have a bit of quality time with her parents," Harry answered.   
  
_Ah so that's the excuse Granger has given everyone and possibly even herself,_ Draco thought snidely. _But I know her real excuse, don't I. I think I'll remind her of it when she gets back._


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**   
  
Draco pulled his dragon-hide cloak closer to ward off the winter chill as he stood by the steps leading the Oak front doors of the Hogwarts castle. The students who had gone home for the holidays would be arriving any minute now, and Draco did not want to give Granger a chance to run from him again. He wanted to remind her exactly why she had run home for the holidays as soon as possible. He wanted to sneer at her cowardice the moment she got back into Hogwarts.  
  
The front gate opened and the first of the returning students trickled in, walking briskly to get out of the cold and into the warmth of the castle. Draco spotted a tiny blue flame bobbing amidst the students, and smiled. Hermione had always carried a bluebell flame in a jar during winter since their first year in Hogwarts, and Draco knew that she had released the bluebell flame to warm as many of the students around her as possible. _Typical, Granger. Typical_   
  
Draco stood up straighter, arranging his long limbs into a casual pose, leaning against the wall near the front doors. "Welcome back, everyone. I trust you all had satisfactory holidays," he drawled as soon as the student reached where he stood.   
  
Some of the students responded politely, and most of the girls blushed at the sight of the seriously good-looking Slytherin. But Draco paid them no attention, his eyes and the rest of his senses focused on the Head Girl who was summoning the bluebell flame back into her jar, unaware that she was being watched. A wave of relief and excitement coursed through Draco at the first sight of her in weeks. _She's back._   
  
Draco quelled the urge to run down the steps to meet her, concentrating instead on maintaining the relaxed pose that was increasingly becoming dificult to hold. "Welcome back, Hermione. Have a good break?"   
  
Hermione looked up at the sound of his voice. _What's he doing here? I'm not ready to see him yet._  
  
She felt a blush rushing up from the base of her neck the moment she met his familiar grey eyes and smirk. There was no stopping the images and sensations that rushed through her of the last time she had seen Malfoy. She cleared her throat before responding. "Thank you, Malfoy. Yes, I did have a good break."   
  
She moved towards the front doors, intending to head straight for the Gryffindor Common Room to see her old friends. But he stopped her with a hand on her arm.   
  
"Still calling me Malfoy, Hermione? I would have thought by now, after _everything_ that has happened between us, we would be on first name basis," he said in a low voice.   
  
"Old habits die hard," Hermione murmured, then stated, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go to the Gryffindor dormitories to see my friends."   
  
"Am I not your friend, too, Hermione? You haven't even asked me how my holidays were. Or have we been _too close_ to be friends?" he replied teasingly, enjoying the deepening blush on Hermione's face. _She was flushed just like that when we were in the library. Maybe I should provide her that fact._   
  
She suddenly looked him straight in the eye, her face calm and determined. "Look, I don't want anything like that to happen again. I meant what I said, stay away from me. Please."   
  
"Don't be such a spoilsport, Hermione. I still want to play, and don't try to deny that you enjoyed our little _games_, too. I was there, remember? The sounds you made prove to me that you liked playing with me just as much as I did," he responded, smirking at her.   
  
Hermione pulled her arm away from his grasp gently and stepped away from him. She opened the door and said before entering, "I'm not denying anything, Malfoy. But I am saying that it will never happen again. You'll get over it."   
  
As she walked briskly to the Gryffindor Common Room, she admitted a few truths to herself. While she had been able to figure out so many things during her vacation about who she was and what she wanted to be, she had not been able to fully address the Malfoy issue. She may have aborted the Pet Project, but apparently, Malfoy refused to let things be.   
  
_Really silly of you, Hermione. Whatever made you think that Malfoy would acquiese to your decision just because you wanted to put a stop to what had been going on between the two of you. Whatever made you think that a spoiled brat like him would easily give up something he wanted? Whatever made you assume that an arrogant person like him would let go of a challenge so quickly? You schemed to make him want you, now you're going to have to undo your brilliant work._   
  
Draco was sitting in their Common Room couch just as Hermione had expected. _Predictable, Malfoy_, Hermione thought but was pleased that she could get what she had to do over and done with. The time she spent re-uniting with her Gryffindor friends helped Hermione calm down and think about how to deal with Malfoy and his utter brattiness. She was more than ready to begin undoing her work.   
  
"Can we talk?" she asked.   
  
"I thought you didn't want to play with me anymore, Hermione," he raised an eyebrow at her.   
  
"Yes, but that makes you want to play with me more, doesn't it," she stated calmly, taking the leather chair opposite the couch.   
  
"Good call, Hermione," he smiled teasingly. _I knew she wouldn't be able to keep away from me too long._   
  
She sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. _How could I make this spoiled, arrogant prat stop seeing me as a challenge he must conquer? The more I tell him that I don't want to play anymore, the more it eggs on his brattiness._   
  
"OK, Malfoy. I would like you to listen to me and take what I say seriously. You can make as many snarky remarks as you want after I'm done. Deal?" she started.   
  
"I like this commanding aspect of your personality, Hermione. Very sexy," he smiled, but she didn't smile back so he said, "Fine. I'll listen. Make it quick because you know I've never been good at keeping my wittiness to myself."   
  
She shook her head at his words before starting, "You remember that scene after the Prefects' Meeting at the Hogwarts Express? When you told me off and let me know just how you really thought of me and my Head Girl badge."   
  
He nodded. She held a hand up to stop him from trying to explain his behaviour that day. This wasn't about that.   
  
"Well, I'll be honest with you, Malfoy. What you said hurt me more than anything else you've ever said to me before. No, don't say anything. Just listen... I was really angry at you for the gall and the arrogance that made you think that you could say those things to me. And at your cruelty for so casually telling me things that you knew would hurt me... But that's not the point here. Anyway, after that, I made a plan to get back at you for what you said and for everything that you had ever done to me and to my friends. Not to mention for everything that you represented as far as I was concerned."   
  
"And what do I represent?" he asked, unable to keep his mouth shut anymore. He couldn't quite believe that he was having this conversation with Granger -- and she was so calm about it. No drama. No tears. No slapping. _Maybe she's pretending to be calm so she can pull a surprise hex on me._   
  
"You, Draco Malfoy, embody the things that would always work against me in the Wizarding World," Hermione stated. "You're Pure Blood, and I will always be Muggleborn. Your attitude towards me and other Muggleborns represents the prejudice against us, that no amount of accomplishments and achievements on our part would ever erradicate. I wanted to make an example out of you. I wanted to show and to prove for the last time that I was better than you, that despite your Pure Blood and your impeccable wizarding pedigree, I was better than you. I wanted to humiliate you and make you regret every cruel word and deed you have inflicted on me, my friends and other non-Pure Blood folk."   
  
Draco stared at her, stunned at her candor and honesty. And her calmness.  
  
She continued, "Anyway, for reasons that are pointless to get into anymore, I decided that the best way to destroy you was to make you want me. So I planned and plotted to get you to notice me, to get you to see me as a challenge, as something that you wanted. I knew that the moment you saw me as a challenge, as a trophy to be won, you would want me and that you would come after me. That was just the tip of the iceberg. My final plan for you was a public admission of your desire for me, followed by my absolute rejection of you. I wanted witnesses to your downfall. I wanted everyone to see you, the most Pure Blooded wizard in Hogwarts, fall on your knees to beg me, a MudBlood, to have you. I wanted to see the look of total humiliation and regret on your face when I reject you. I was setting you up for that."   
  
"Why are you telling me all this now?" he asked hesitantly, still not sure where this conversation was leading to.   
  
"Because I'm not going to go through with it. The project has been aborted. I don't want or need to see this project through. And I want you to realise that I meant it when I said that I no longer want to... be involved with you in the way that I was just before I left for France. For the record, Malfoy, I am not playing coy in the hopes of getting you to want me. I hope you believe that."   
  
"Why did you decide to abort the project?" he asked.   
  
"Because going through with it would destroy the things about myself that are more important than proving to you and to everyone like you that I am better than all of you put together. I'm done proving myself. If my achievements in the past seven years are not enough to prove myself worthy as a witch, then nothing will. I've decided to stop putting so much value in the opinions and attitudes of prejudiced people," Hermione responded.   
  
She stood up and moved to head for her room. "That's all I wanted to say. Thank you for listening."   
  
"Wait. There's one issue left," he said before she could leave.   
  
She turned around to look at him. "Yes?"   
  
"I still want you. You made me want you. And I still do. And you can't deny that you wanted me, too. What are we going to do about that?" he asked.   
  
"You don't really want me, Malfoy," Hermione said, shaking her head. "You only thought you did because I made you think that I was a challenge. I can even tell you the exact moment when I laid down the challenge. Remember what I said to you at Scrivenshaft's? About Viktor? I know how your mind works, Malfoy. The moment I told you that _no one_ in Hogwarts could top Viktor Krum, I knew it triggered your competitive and conceited nature. I knew you would have wanted to prove to yourself and everyone that you were better than Viktor. I knew you wanted me to eat my words."   
  
"So basically, you played me these past few months," he stated, beginning to recall other instances when Hermione had challenged him deliberately. Steadily growing amazed at his stupidity and her cunning skill. _I didn't even realise what she was doing._   
  
"Yes," she nodded.   
  
"Well done. You should have been sorted into Slytherin," he smirked. "Of course, a Slytherin would have accomplished the plan. I certainly wouldn't have quit half-way through, especially when it was progressing so successfully. I wouldn't have stopped."   
  
Hermione gave him a small smile. "True. That's what makes us different, Malfoy. And to me, that's what makes me better than you."   
  



	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**   
  
"No, I'm not wearing anything from Madame Malkin's for the Graduation Ball, mother has hired a designer from Paris..."  
  
Draco tuned the rest of Pansy Parkinson's words out, not even bothering to remind Pansy and the others who were so eagerly discussing their attire for the Graduation that the said event was not happening in another three months. He looked around the interior of Three Broomsticks, noticing that everyone seemed to be in pairs today. Most of the tables had couples occupying them while the rest had even-numbered boys and girls. Not surprising since the Hogsmeade weekend trip fell on Valentine's Day. Draco himself was in a similar table with Pansy, and three more couples: Blaise and Parvati, Lavender and Theodore Nott, Padma Patil and Ernie MacMillan.  
  
_Strange how inter-house divisions have been so easily dashed by teenage hormones,_ Draco thought, smirking inwardly. He would have never imagined in his first five years in Hogwarts that he would find himself sharing a table at the Three Broomsticks with two Gryffindors, a Hufflepuff and a Ravenclaw. But with the Blaise-Parvati relationship still growing strong, it was only natural that Parvati's bestfriend and twin would have more interaction with Blaise's Slytherin friends. When Draco and Pansy arrived at Three Broomsticks, Blaise and Parvati asked them to join their table. A few minutes after that, Lavender and Theodore joined them, followed by Padma and Ernie. Lavender seemed to have gotten over not getting a second date with Draco, and was happily enjoying Theodore's company.   
  
Draco didn't really mind sharing a table with the others. While he had been dating Pansy on and off since their fourth year, Draco honestly found the overly-talkative, breathy-voiced, materialistic and spoiled Pansy quite boring. He had only asked her out this weekend because he knew everyone would be going in pairs and Draco Malfoy would be caught dead before being seen dateless on Valentine's Day. He was beginning to regret his decision since Pansy's conversational repertoire was limited to the latest fashion trends, the hottest dating spots, and gossip about their fellow students. He had hoped, when they joined Zabini and Parvati, that the other couple would help filter out Pansy's boring company, and they did, allowing Draco to sit and smile politely as he drank his butterbeer and let his mind wander.   
  
The doors to the pub opened and Hermione strode in, wearing a black cloak opened over an olive green cashmere turtleneck sweater and denim trousers, and heading straight for the bar to talk to Madame Rosmerta. She was obviously dateless and not too concerned about it, judging by the way she didn't even look at the couples gathered in the bar. Draco watched her walk to a sectioned off corner, carrying a box that Madame Rosmerta had handed to her. She took out her wand, and with a few swishes and flicks, she had emptied the contents of the box to decorate the corner with banners and streamers. When that was done, she swished her wand one more time to conjure red and gold ribbons that hung over the table, spelling out the words "Happy Birthday, Hagrid!!!" She put her hands on her hips, surveying her work with a satisfied smile, and then headed for the bar to get herself a tankard of butterbeer.   
  
"I need a refill," Draco said as he got up to go to the bar.   
  
Hermione was sitting on one of the barstools, looking at her watch when Draco joined her. "It's the Big Oaf's birthday?"   
  
She turned to look at him and smiled. "Not until Tuesday but we decided to throw a surprise party for him this weekend."   
  
"So where's the rest of the party?" he asked.  
  
"They'll be here soon. Harry's helping Hagrid out with a batch of Nifflers to distract him from the preparations. Ron's with Lisa Turpin. Ginny and Neville are buying presents for Hagrid. Luna's buying the cake. We've also invited George and Fred and the rest of the Gryffindors. They all said they'll be here. I imagine they're all with their dates and will be joining the party soon." she responded.   
  
"And you, Hermione? No date for Valentine's Day?" he raised an eyebrow at her.   
  
"Honestly? I kind of forgot what day it was today until I arrived in Hogsmeade and realised that everyone was in pairs," she chuckled.   
  
"And you don't mind? It's social suicide to be dateless on Valentine's Day, you know," he smirked.   
  
Hermione laughed at that. "Then I guess I'm dead."   
  
Draco looked at her, shaking his head. _Honestly, for a really smart girl, she could be so socially obtuse sometimes._   
  
After their conversation when Hermione admitted her Pet Project plans and announced that she was not going through with it, Draco had spent the first few hours after her exit in stunned disbelief. He was awed by the cruelty of her plan, by the methodical way she had made him want her, by her sheer audacity to try to pull off something like that. When that wore off, he realised that she meant it when she said that the plan had been aborted and that, as far as she was concerned, she was better off not going through with it. Draco's Slytherin mind scoffed at that for a bit until he accepted that while she would have made a wonderful Slytherin for her cunning mind, at heart, Hermione Granger was a Gryffindor and things like honour and honesty and being good were important to her. He respected that. He respected that she knew herself enough to know what she was and was not capable of, and that she was self-aware enough to put a stop to something that would have ruined the things about herself that she valued.  
  
So he backed off from her, and turned his attention back to the other girls in Hogwarts. Their positions, however, did not allow him to back off completely. They still had to work together and to do their duties well. Truth be told, however, Draco welcomed the opportunity to spend time with Hermione. The fascination about her that had begun when she was laying the groundwork for her Pet Project had not abated. If anything, what she revealed to him during that conversation about herself and how her mind worked, made her more fascinating to him. He wanted to figure out the puzzle of a girl who possessed the means and the skill to decimate her school nemesis and yet chose to refrain from it. He had never met anyone like that in his life, surrounded since his childhood by powerful wizards and witches who never failed to maximise opportunities to show just how powerful they were -- and to make life hell for everyone who was not as powerful. He accepted that Hermione was a powerful witch, he had known that since their first year in Hogwarts. He had no doubt in his mind that Hermione, had she chosen to go through with her plan, would have had him on his knees, begging her to take him. When she ran from the library that day, he had been on the brink of doing just that. She had perfectly executed the steps to her plan that would have eventually succeeded, and she knew that. And yet, she chose to put a stop to it instead. That's what fascinated him -- the restraint she had exhibited in proving her power.   
  
There was power in that restraint, Draco realised. A kind of power that was unshakeable and a strength that was impenetrable. And it made him want to know more about the girl who wielded that kind of power and strength so well. So he resolved to put a halt to their antagonistic interaction so he could study her better. He knew that Hermione was the kind of person who valued fairness, and that if he treated her with friendly professionalism, she would return it. In the past few weeks, they had fulfilled their duties well together, and exhibited a detached friendliness towards each other that had eventually made the Prefects' Meetings boring for the prefects who had looked forward to the tension and verbal lashings between the Head Boy and Girl. But not for the two of them. They enjoyed working together harmoniously, to the point that they could now hold decent conversations with each other outside of their duties and tasks.   
  
"So who's the lucky girl today, Draco?" Hermione asked, smiling.   
  
"Pansy," he replied.   
  
She smirked at him. "Well that's a pretty safe choice. Really, that girl should learn to not allow you to ask her out every time you're too lazy to think about who to ask to the next Hogsmeade weekend."   
  
_Yeah, well, the girl I wanted to spend time with asked me to stay away from her,_ Draco almost blurted out. He replied with the question instead, "And you, Hermione? Hogwarts boys still not measuring up to Krum?"   
  
She laughed and shook her head. She was glad that she and Draco had been able to laugh off some parts of the Pet Project. _Though we've successfully dodged alluding to those moments in the Common Room couch and the library._ That thought sobered her up. "You know I didn't mean that, Draco. And to answer your question, no. I think the real issue is that no one has asked me out," she shrugged.   
  
"Does that bother you?" he asked seriously.   
  
She thought about the question for a few seconds. "Honestly? No, not really. I mean, on an intellectual level, it kind bothers me in the sense that I suspect one of the reasons why boys in Hogwarts have never asked me out is because I'm Head Girl, you know? And prior to that, I was The Bossy Know-It-All with Top Grades. That's got to be intimidating for the guys, not mention that that's laden with sexism and stereotyping against girls with brains. But then again, maybe that's just bollocks and the real reason why no one has asked me out is because I'm not attractive enough."   
  
"I assure you, Hermione, that's not the reason," he said without thinking, then covered up his surprise at his words with a smirk. "It could have something to do with the fact that you constantly surround yourself with two prats as bodyguards."   
  
Hermione smiled. "Well, whatever the reason is, I'm not all that bothered that no one has asked me out. Dating is so much work!"   
  
"Work?" he asked, chuckling. "It's supposed to be fun! What did Krum do when you dated anyway? Made you do his homework?"   
  
She rolled her eyes at him, chuckling. "No, of course not. What I meant was that there's so much effort and bruhaha that goes with dating. I mean, I had fun during the few times I went out with Viktor, but prior to those dates, I worried about my hair, what to wear, what to talk about, what to do, where to go. I'd rather occupy my time thinking about other things."   
  
"You're such a nerd, Hermione," he smiled at her.   
  
"And proud of it," she replied.   
  
Before he could reply, the doors to the pub opened and Ron, Lisa, Neville, Luna, George and Fred walked in. At the same time, Pansy had reached the bar to retrieve her date. Draco and Hermione smiled and nodded at each other one more time before turning their attention to their friends.   
  
Hermione smiled as she scanned the party from her perch atop a barstool. It was a success from the looks of it. Hagrid had been genuinely surprised and ecstatic when he and Harry entered the Three Broomsticks to greetings of "Surprise!" and "Happy Birthday!". Fred and George distributed party favours -- bags of assorted Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products -- to everyone in the pub. Then Harry announced that the next round of drinks for everyone was on him, effectively including the students who were not seated at their table in the celebration. Luna had arrived with a huge cake for the party, and the final slice of the cake had been served and consumed. Hagrid had convinced Madame Rosmerta to play some dance music, and then proceeded to take Ginny for a twirl -- not the easiest thing to accomplish given Hagrid's and the Three Broomstick's sizes. Then everyone figured that if Hagrid could manage to dance in the pub, then they could, too. So one by one, the students who had taken over the Three Broomsticks had grabbed their partners and their respective spaces in between the tables to dance.   
  
"Not dancing, Hermione?" Ginny asked as she approached the smiling Hermione. Ginny had left Hagrid dancing with Madame Rosmerta.   
  
"Nah, I don't think there's enough space for another dancer," Hermione responded.   
  
"Or maybe it's because the boy you want to dance with is currently occupied," Ginny said teasingly, turning her head towards Pansy who was trying to coax Draco to dance with her.  
  
Hermione frowned slightly at her friend and shook her head. It had been months since Ginny had said anything to her about Draco, and Hermione had been convinced that the younger girl had quit all speculations about that matter. Hermione had kept what happened between her and Draco from her friends, convinced that telling them would serve no other purpose than to upset them. She knew such things would never happen between her and Draco again, after all, the blond boy had gotten back into the dating game soon after her confession about the Pet Project. She was genuinely glad about that, she told herself. She had been afraid that Draco would continue to pursue her after that conversation, and was greatly relieved that he had taken her words seriously and had gone back to pursuing every other pretty girl in the 5th, 6th and 7th years. Though, to be honest, the typical teenage girl inside of Hermione was piqued that she was not pretty enough for Draco's attention. But Hermione quelled that small part of her, and focused on being glad that she and Draco were comfortable with each other at last.   
  
Draco had been casually friendly with her, keeping most of their conversations and interactions in the context of their positions in school. He had continued to tease her about certain aspects of her personality, not the least of which her intelligence, but the malice and cruelty had been absent from his jibes. It was not at all difficult for Hermione to reciprocate his changed behaviour towards her since it was the kind of working relationship that she had hoped for when she found out who the Head Boy was. Besides, if she were truly honest with herself, she had to admit that she genuinely enjoyed Draco's company. The ease with which she and Draco had been working together for the past few weeks, and the genuine respect she sensed from him, served to convince Hermione that aborting her Pet Project was the right thing to do.   
  
"No response, Hermione? Not even going to deny it?" Ginny continued, looking at Hermione closely.   
  
"I won't bother to deny it because you and I both know that you're delusional," Hermione answered back, smirking at Ginny.   
  
"Am I?"   
  
"You are. Stop imagining things, Ginny."   
  
"Then how come I've seen his eyes wander over to you more times than I can count this afternoon?" Ginny smirked back.   
  
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Look, Ginny, you're viewing the world with romantic eyes."   
  
"That still doesn't explain why he keeps looking at you, Hermione," Ginny said.   
  
"Assuming, of course, that he has been looking at me," Hermione replied cheekily.  
  
"Oh he has been, Hermione. Even Luna noticed," Ginny grinned.   
  
Hermione laughed. "Right. Luna also thinks that somewhere in Britain, big-boned, hairy men called Derthals have constructed saddles to ride Norwegian Ridgebacks. I could disprove that just as easily as I can disprove what you're saying about Draco and me."   
  
"Ah, so it _is_ Draco now, is it," Ginny nodded, smirking.   
  
"It is his name, Ginny," Hermione responded.   
  
"You never bothered calling him that before," Ginny countered.   
  
"We were never Head Boy and Head Girl before," Hermione said.   
  
"C'mon, Hermione, even the Prefects are talking about how you and Malfoy have been so friendly and nice to each other these past few weeks," Ginny said. "So what really gives?"   
  
Hermione sighed, getting tired of Ginny's badgering. "Nothing, Ginny. And for the last time, stop making something big out of nothing. Please. You're beginning to sound like Lavender and Parvati, and being the topic of gossip is really getting a tad tedious."   
  
Ginny looked chastised at Hermione's words, and the older girl felt bad for it. "Ginny, I'm sorry, but please get off my case. If there's something going on, you'll be the first person I'll tell. I promise."   
  
Much to Hermione's relief, the rest of the conversation was interrupted when Fred and George came over to them to pull Ginny into another dance.  
  
_Maybe it's time I made my exit and headed back to school. I've done my part and everyone's having fun with their dates. I'm sure no one will notice me leave,_ Hermione thought. She got off the barstool and retrieved her cloak from the table. She maneuvered her way through the dancing, mingling and butterbeer-drinking crowd towards Harry to let him know that she was heading back to the castle. He askes her if she wanted him to walk with her back to school but she declined, and she made her way to the door.   
  
"Sneaking off, Hermione?"  
  
Hermione turned to face Draco, "Hardly. I told Harry that I'm leaving."   
  
"Where are you off to?" he asked.   
  
"Back to Hogwarts. I want to spend some time finishing my Advanced Arithmancy homework."   
  
"Brilliant idea. I'm joining you. I need help with my charts," he said, opening the door for her.   
  
"What about Pansy?" she asked.   
  
"Oh, right. Can you wait a minute while I make my excuses?" he replied.   
  
"Sure, I'll wait for you outside," she said before opening the door and stepping out.   
  
Draco strode over to where Pansy was dancing with Michael Corner. "Pansy, I'd like to go back to school and work on my Advanced Arithmancy charts."   
  
"But, Draco, this party is so much fun!" Pansy pouted.   
  
"Yes, it is, and I don't wish to take you away from it. Why don't you stay while I head back to Hogwarts?" Draco suggested.   
  
Pansy looked at him unsurely and then darted her eyes to Michael who was watching their conversation eagerly. "Well, if you insist, Draco. Thank you for today. I had fun." She reached up to kiss his cheek lightly before turning her attention back to Michael.   
  
Draco shook his head, smiling at himself. _Three months ago, I would have hexed her for dismissing me so casually. Would have hexed Corner too for being the reason for my dismissal. But then again, three months ago, I would not have been this excited to do my Arithmancy charts. On a Hogsmeade weekend. With Hermione Granger._


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**   
  
"Hmm. Did they move the Gryffindor Common Room and forget to send me a memo?" Draco drawled upon seeing Harry, Ron and Ginny standing by the doors to the Head Boy and Girl Common Room.   
  
Three pairs of eyes cast simultaneous glares at him before Harry spoke up, "We wanted to see Hermione. She skipped dinner tonight and we were worried about her."   
  
"What's to worry about? Perhaps the girl just wanted to skip dinner," Draco raised an eyebrow. _Honestly, these Gryffindors. The concept of privacy is lost to them._   
  
"We don't need to explain ourselves to you, Malfoy," Ron retorted.   
  
"Oh but you do. I'm the only one here who can open the door so you can go bother Hermione," Draco reminded him.  
  
"We're not going to bother her, Malfoy," Ginny spoke up. "We just want to know if she's ok. Luna said that she saw Hermione step out of McGonogall's office upset."   
  
At Ginny's words, Draco immediately turned and opened the door the Common Room but didn't bother to let the others in. He headed straight to her room and knocked. "Hermione?"   
  
"I'd like to be alone for a bit, Draco," Hermione called out. "Please."   
  
"Yes, of course, but Potter, Weasley and Weaslette are outside the Common Room, and they want to see you," Draco said. He heard shuffling sounds from inside her room and a few seconds later, the door opened to reveal a visibly distraught Hermione. "What's the matter, Hermione?"   
  
"Nothing," she looked uncertain. "I don't feel like seeing them right now."   
  
"I can get rid of them for you, but if the Weaslette does another Bat Bogey Hex on me, I'll hold you responsible," he smirked before turning towards the front door to get rid of the three waiting outside.   
  
"Wait," Hermione stopped him. "I'll do it, Draco. I'm not sure you're the best person to tell my friends to leave me be for a bit."   
  
"Oh I'm pretty sure they won't be docile about it," he smiled. "But then again, one look at your face and I doubt they'll leave you alone."   
  
Hermione bit her bottom lip, thinking about how to politely refuse her friends' company. Draco was right, her friends would badger her for explanations if they see just how upset she was, and she didn't feel like to talking about what upset her at the moment.   
  
"Let's make a deal, Hermione," Draco suggested. "I'll politely tell your friends to go away, and in return you tell me why you're upset. Deal?"   
  
She looked at him for a few seconds before responding. "I don't feel like talking to anyone at the moment, Draco."   
  
"But I'm not just _anyone_, Hermione," he smirked.   
  
That coaxed a tiny smile out of her. _Honestly, this boy is so conceited it's funny._   
  
Draco took that as a yes, but to make sure she didn't renege on their deal, he grabbed her wrist and led her to the Common Room couch before he headed towards the door. He stuck his head out to address the three seething Gryffindors. "Hermione's got one of her migraines right now and she needs to get on with her nap."   
  
"Like we'd believe you, Malfoy," Harry said.   
  
Draco shrugged, "Like I care, Potter." He closed the door on their faces, and headed back to the couch.   
  
"You said you were going to be polite," Hermione said when he returned.   
  
"My politeness to your friends has a very short lifespan. Anything more than five seconds and I go into full body convulsions. Not a pretty sight." he smirked as he took the chair opposite her. "So what gives, Hermione?"   
  
"I had my final Career Assessment with Professor McGonogall today," Hermione began and then sighed.   
  
"Did she tell you that you have way too much brains to be a stripper at the Veela Bar in Diagon Alley?" he asked, thinking that the best way to coax her to tell him what was going on was to humour her.   
  
"I can't be a stripper there because they require all strippers to have Veela blood. I read that in the book, 'Unknown and Unsavoury Modern History of Magic'," she answered.   
  
"Is there anything you haven't read, Hermione?" Draco shook his head, chuckling. Then he decided to bring them back on track. "OK so it's not about being a stripper. What did McGonogall tell you that got you upset? I imagine she told you that you could pursue any career, barring stripping in a Veela Bar, that you put your mind to."   
  
Hermione sighed again, and the amused look on her face from Draco's stripper comments was replaced by that same distraught expression she had when she opened her bedroom door earlier. "Basically, yes. She also told me that a few of the departments in the Ministry of Magic had already asked about my career plans."   
  
"And you're upset with that because...?" he prodded.   
  
She didn't respond for a few seconds, then she whispered, "I'm scared."   
  
"Of?"   
  
"I have so much to look forward to, don't I. So many avenues I can take. So many things I can be," she said, looking down. "But what if I never have the chance to take those avenues? What if I don't live long enough to be what I can be? I can't even look forward to the future because I'm scared I won't have one... When Professor McGonogall told me today about the possibilities for my future, all I could think about was 'what future?' All I could think about was... this war we're in the middle of right now. I--"   
  
"Stop it, Hermione. Stop it right now," Draco interrupted her. She looked up at the urgent tone in his voice to see him shaking his head sadly. "You can't let this... this war get to you, Hermione. You can't let it wear you down. Because if you do, if you allow it to eat you up, then you will lose. Then we will all lose."   
  
"This is exactly why I didn't want to talk to Harry and the others tonight, Draco. Why I wanted to be left on my own. Don't you think I know how my uncertainty, my fear would affect the others?How it would affect Harry? Don't you think I know that the last thing anyone of you needs to hear from Hermione Granger is that she's scared shitless and can't even think about what her future would be like? I can't be scared, you know. Everyone, especially Harry is counting on me to be calm and cool about this whole thing. " she answered back vehemently, tears falling from her pained eyes. "Well, I'm scared, Draco. Scared like you wouldn't believe."   
  
Draco got up from his chair and knelt before her. "I know, Hermione. And I don't care one whit about how the rest would be affected by your fears.You know damn well I don't really care about how it will affect your precious Potter. I care about how you're letting this affect you. Because you _will_ survive this war, and in order to do that, you will have to believe that you will. You will have to look forward to that day when you finally set up the first S.P.E.W. Headquarters right in the middle of Diagon Alley. How you would eventually get all house-elves free and wanting equal wage for equal labour. How you would turn my former house-elf into the poster child of your movement, and possibly the first non-human Minister of Magic. If you stop believing that you can do those things, Hermione, you might as well Avada Kedavra yourself now. No need to wait for Voldemort and his Death Eaters to do it for you."   
  
Hermione's tears stopped the moment Draco started speaking, and she looked at him in shock. _This is Draco Malfoy? Why is he saying these things? He's changed yes, but I've never seen him this way before. Why does it seem like he cares?_   
  
She broke the silence that descended upon them at the end of his rant, "Why?"   
  
"Why what?" he looked at her.   
  
"Why are you telling me these things?" she asked tentatively.   
  
_Yes, Draco, enlighten us, why do you care so much that Granger remains hopeful about her future? Why do you care if she's afraid? Why do you care that she survives the war?_ the tiny Lucius in his head asked snidely, and Draco could almost imagine his father sneering at him.   
  
_Oh, do shut up, you sore loser,_ the inner Draco sneered back at his father, and he decided to tell Hermione the truth.   
  
"Because this world, our world, the only one I know and have lived in, would be so much paler without you in it, Hermione Granger," he whispered.   
  
Hermione gasped. This was _not_ Draco Malfoy. "Wha--? Why are you--?" she stuttered.   
  
He smiled at her stunned look and her stutter. _After all this time, all I needed to do to get her incoherent was to be kind to her. Should have tried this earlier._ He decided to give it another go.   
  
"Why are you so surprised, Hermione? You of all people should know that change _is_ possible. If you could get Rita Skeeter to be a responsible journalist for The Quibbler, surely you can get Draco Malfoy to do random acts of kindness."   
  
She sobbed and chuckled at the same time, then closed her eyes at the unexplainable wave of happiness she felt at that moment. She opened her eyes to look at him and smiled. "Thank you, Draco."   
  
_So this is what if feels like to be Harry Potter. To have this amazing girl smile at you like you had just saved the day,_ Draco thought. _I could get addicted to this. And I don't mind. _


End file.
